One Wish: Beginnings
by Desiqtie
Summary: AU. In a world where the Potters and their daughter never went under the Fidelius, girl!Harry deals with growing up famous, abnormal family members, and a Sirius-ly problematic obsession. Contains Alive!OotP Members & Death Eaters! **CHP 23 & 24 ARE NEW**
1. Table of Contents

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

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**Feel free to skip the author note and table of contents below, especially if you're a new reader. Jump straight to Chapter 1: The Fortune Teller!**

**A/N regarding the revision: 69 reviews, 51 C2s, 108 favorites, 92 alerts and about 36K words! **Thank you so much to everyone who has read and enjoyed One Wish and all the associated side stories! For those of you who were following One Wish from the beginning, I'm sure you're aware of how disjointed it had become. So in order to fix some of the problems with it, I've decided to revise the whole series. I'm going to be posting the newly edited older bits, with the new parts inserted in between, all in chronological order in a chaptered story format. (Instead of the piecemeal way it's posted currently.) Obviously some chapters will be very recognizable, but there's also a lot of new bits!

I've decided to split the series into two parts: the first will be the _One Wish Prequel_, and will cover the OWverse from the evening of July 29, 1980 to January 18, 1997 and the second will be _One Wish_, covering everything from January 18, 1997 onwards. So, to everyone who's been asking if One Wish is abandoned, the answer is definitely not! And I really hope all of you love the new version even more then the old one! :-D

So, as I'm sure some of you have noticed – I've yet again revised parts of this story. I realized after a recent read through that some of my plot bunnies from other story-lines were messing up the layout of this story. And girl!Harry's character was starting to drift a bit too much from where I wanted it to go. Speaking of girl!Harry, her name WAS Maria Jamie Potter but I didn't think Maria made sense as a first name for a British witch so I switched her first name to Rose since that seems to be a fairly generic flower based name – and therefore makes sense since her mother & aunt both have flower based names.

Now about updates - I'm in med school, so RL is psychotically busy and therefore updates will be random and probably slow/sporadic. But this story is NOT abandoned – Story Alert is your friend! (and Reviews are MY friend!)

-Desiqtie

_Recently a reader PM'd me saying that they were a bit confused about the timeline, so I've added a Table of Contents with dates below, and I'll keep updating it as I add additional chapters._

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**One Wish: Beginnings**

**Table of Contents/Timeline of Events**

**Chapter 1: The Fortune Teller – July 29, 1980**

**Chapter 2: The Waiting Game – July 30-31, 1980**

**Chapter 3: Excerpts from The Daily Prophet Classifieds – August 1, 1980**

**Chapter 4: The Cranky Child – August 30, 1980**

**Chapter 5: Excerpts from The Hogwarts Register, covering Magical Births between March '79 & September '80 – September 15, 1980**

**Chapter 6: The Firsts, Part One – September 18-November 27, 1980**

**Chapter 7: The Firsts, Part Two – April 10-July 31,1981**

**Chapter 8: The Ones Who Hide – October 31, 1981–July 31, 1982**

**Chapter 9: The Attack – October 31, 1982**

**Chapter 10: The Morning After – November 1, 1982**

**Chapter 11: The Mandatory Therapy – April 1, 1983**

**Chapter 12: The First Interlude: Air – July 31, 1983**

**Chapter 13: The Potters and The Blacks – August 1, 1983**

**Chapter 14: The Birthday Cake – July 31, 1984**

**Chapter 15: The First Kiss – November 12, 1984**

**Chapter 16: The Innocent Child – June 9, 1985**

**Chapter 17: The Birds and The Bees – July 31, 1986**

**Chapter 18: The Mistress – December 19, 1987**

**Chapter 19: The Tattoo – August 15, 1988**

**Chapter 20: The Reader – July 30, 1989**

**Chapter 21: The Charms – July 30, 1989**

**Chapter 22: The Anchor - August 15, 1989**

**Chapter 23: The Piercing – April 23, 1990**

And now, on to the story...


	2. The Fortune Teller

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

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And now on with the story...here's **One Wish: The Beginning**, with a completely brand new chapter:

**Chapter Title:** The Fortune Teller**  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "The future isn't what it used to be." — Paul Valery, French philosopher and essayist  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

**One Wish: The Fortune Teller**

July 29, 1980

_Muggle London, 45 Minutes Before Midnight_

*THUD*

"Whoops! Terribly sorry about that ma'am!" Drunkenly, the man stumbled to his feet and gently patted the lamppost in apology. Swaying from side to side, he made his way down the street, giggling to himself every time he crashed into something. "Oopsie! Sorry Ma'am. Oopsie! Soooorry Sir. Haha. Why's there so many people in the street?" Frowning, he stopped in the middle of the road and turned to a rain-soaked, half-crushed, cardboard box, "You should go to bed box! It's way past your bedtime! It's way past my bedtime too. But...but...I haveta, I haveta do something. It's important!" With that exclamation, the dark-haired man flopped to the ground, hands on his knees, and began a one-sided conversation with the box. "Actually box. Do you wanna know a secret? Huh? Huh? Do you wanna!" Leaning forward as if to better hear the box's response, "But you can't tell anyone, okay? Okay. So. The secret. It's a secret! It's about a girl. She's a baby. So it's a secret about a baby. A girl baby. A girl baby secret. But it's not a baby-sized secret. It's a full-sized secret. About a baby. A baby girl! Do you get it Sir? No? Alright. I'll explain. See, there's this baby. A girl baby. My goddaughter! Her name's Rose. Well. It's gonna be Rose. When she's born! Cause she hasn't been borned yet. Are you sad box? I'm sad too!" He nodded at the box, then suddenly got up. "Actually box. I dunno if you're trustworthy. How do I know you won't just tell other people the secret? Well? Yeah. That's what I thought. Goodbye untrustable box!" The handsome drunk struggled to his feet and stomped away down the street. Abruptly, he came to a stop as a feminine arm, covered in golden bangles, snaked around his waist.

Purring seductively, the dark-eyed Romani plastered herself against the drunk, an odd hiss in her voice, "You can tell me your ssssecret Mr. Black. I promisssse. I won't tell anyone..."

"Really? Okay. Well, no, wait, how do I know you won't tell nobody?"  
"Aww, Mr. Black. Don't you trusssst me?"  
"I dunno. Do I?"  
"Of coursssse you do. We're friendssss, aren't we Mr. Black?"

"Um. I dunno. Wait! You know my name?"  
"Yessss, we're friendssss! I told you! Sssso tell me the ssssecret..." When Sirius continued to look hesitant, the Romani cajoled, "I'll tell you a ssssecret too, we'll trade. How issss that?

"Um, okay! So, I have a goddaughter, well. Not yet. But she's gonna be my goddaughter! But," Sirius paused and looked around. "Is it safe here?" Sighing, the woman rolled her eyes and led Sirius to a dark alley off of the main road. Once inside the alley, she led him into a dark tent that was invisible from the main road. Inside the tent, bright lights and multicolored silks filled the room, the scent of incense hung heavy, causing Sirius to complain, "Aaahchoo! It smells funny."

Rolling her eyes, the woman muttered, "You smell funny. I haven't complained."

"What?"  
"Nothing. You were ssssaying?"  
"I was? Oh yeah. So, my goddaughter. Apparently she's supposed to be born at the end of July. And uh...there's this prophecy and basically... She's in danger. Cause. Cause Moldevort...ummm, no that's not it. Voldevort? Moldemort? Voldemrot? Roldevort? Ummm...something vort?"

"VOLDEMORT!"

"Yeah! That's what I said, Voldemrot." A firm nod to himself, then, "So. Yeah, that guy. He's gonna wanna hurt my goddaughter."  
"And getting drunk solves the problem how? Some chosen hero you are!" Clearly upset, the woman's seductive accent was a thing of the past. Her finger wagged as she berated the drunk Black heir, "Clearly you have no sense of discretion! I cannot believe a Champion would be so irresponsible as to get drunk and tell any random stranger the prophecy! If the gods wanted Riddle to hear the entire prophecy they would have sent it to him, instead of directly to Dumbledore!"

"Wait, why're you yellin'? You're not a stranger! You know my name! Remember?" Completely forgetting to question how the woman could be so unusually well-informed, he nodded to himself and continued, "Um. Maybe your memory went bad. You should get it checked! And what's your secret? I told you mine so you gotta tell me yours! Oh and, and whatsa Champion? And who's Riddle?"

Gaping, the Romani stayed silent for a moment, before she sighed and pushed Sirius into a chair. "Alright then, FRIEND. How's about I read your fortune and tell you a secret about your future." Scoffing, she grumbled, "Not that it matters. Since you won't remember most of this in the morning anyway. Honestly, what were the gods thinking." Rolling her eyes, she mocked, "'Help the Champion, Rukmini. He's a good man, Rukmini!' More like, make sure the Champion doesn't drunkenly spill the beans to every Death Eater from here to France, Rukmini! Good man, my foot. Raving, irresponsible drunk is more accurate."

Sirius simply beamed and held out his hand. Rolling her eyes, semi-amused, she grasped his hand and gently ran one finger down his life-line. "Hrm...well, well, well. You said you're going to be a godfather...to a little...hrm, girrrl? Hah, you may want to reconsider. Her father really may want to reconsider." Snickering, she continued, "Bit of an awkward transition, from godfather to, well. I don't want to tell you everything and spoil all the fun. So, let me just say this. There will come a day, when you will have to make a very important choice. Between what you know is morally correct. And the love you've always sought. If you choose altruism, it will be at the cost of both your family by blood and by heart. If you choose your desires, the one you love best will support you over all others. Of course, there is a cost to picking your own desires. The light-side will suffer greatly, perhaps even - tragically, if you choose to be selfish. But only ONE will die if you decide to pick what is morally just. That one, however, she may well be priceless...at least for you. Choose wisely, dear Champion."

Startled, Sirius looked across the table at the mysterious Romani. The drunken haze beginning to subside, he asked, "What? Who's the one..." Trailing off, Sirius blinked in surprise and glanced around the tent. The Romani was gone and the tent completely empty, except for the single wooden chair he was sitting upon. Suddenly, one of the symbols on his Order bracelet glowed. He glanced down to see both the etched Lily and Stag glowing pink. Shakily, he staggered to his feet, and with one final glance around, vanished with a crack.

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A/N: So, here's the new beginning...Please review and let me know what you think!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	3. The Waiting Game

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! (P.S. Another new chapter! Cause I'm on a roll...:D!) And special thanks to Cinderella912 for the nice review!

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Waiting Game**  
Rating:** PG-13 for some naughty language  
**Summary:** "Babies are such a nice way to start people." - Don Herrold  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

**July 30, 1980**

_Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset, UK_

_10:00 AM BST - Ten Hours After Lily's Initial Labor Pains Started..._

"Hey Wormtail, what time is it now?"  
"Five minutes past the last time you asked, Padfoot."

"Oh. Do you think she's done yet?"  
Peter Pettigrew lets out a loud, exasperated groan and doesn't respond. Clearly exhausted, shabby-looking Remus Lupin, however, rolls his eyes and replies, "Sirius. Shut up. You KNOW that she isn't. Prongs would've called us inside or something if the baby had been born already! Plus, you just went and bugged that muggle nurse, three minutes ago! They said it's still going to be a while. So, just, calm down."

"But I'm boooooooooored. Merlin, why does labor have to be so boring. How much longer is this gonna take?"  
A low snicker catches the bickering men's attentions, "Careful, Padfoot. If Lily hears you call labor boring, she'll probably chop off all your man parts. And you know she'll keep you awake the whole time she does it too!" Shuddering, James Potter continues, "As for how much longer? Wellll, it's going to be a lot longer."  
"What! Why? Is my goddaughter okay?"

"Everything okay?"

"Is Lily okay?"

"Woah, woah! One at a time please! And in reverse order, Lily is fine, everything is fine, MY daughter is definitely fine. The reason it's taking so long is that apparently Lily is still not dilated."

"Well how much more does she need?"  
"Well, Padfoot... You've read all those 'What To Expect When You're Expecting." books, right?"

"Yeah, 10 centimeters. I remember. Those books were scary. I am definitely never having kids."

"Right. Probably a good idea there Pads. Anyway, so. 10 centimeters, yeah? She's at 3 and a half."

"What?"

"The Muggle Healers are saying that we probably should've waited at home and not brought her in until she was up to about 4 centimeters. But now, since she's so close we need to wait here because it'd be a waste of everyone's time for us to leave and then come right back. Apparently once she gets up to 4 centimeters everything should speed up, pretty quick."

"3 and a half?" Groaning, Sirius flopped backwards, kicking his booted feet up onto the waiting room table. "We are going to be here forever!"

"How's Lily handling it?"

"Well, Moony. She was in a bit of pain. But the Muggles gave her some potions that will help."

"Muggles have potions?"  
"I dunno Wormtail. Lily says they're different from our kind of potions. I think she's crazy for taking them, but she says the Muggles know what they're doing. Instead of letting her drink the potion, they stuck it in this tiny, sharp metal tube and then they pushed it into her back. Now she's got this clear tube thing-y sticking out and Lily says that they're doing that so they can put a little bit of the potion into her at a time, instead of all at once."

"Woah! Muggles are cra-azy!"

"Are you sure that's safe?"

"Lily says it is, Moony. She knows more about Muggles then any of the rest of us. And she said this is completely normal. Just like taking a potion is for us."

"It's called an epidural, Prongs. And the metal thingy was a needle, and right now they've got her hooked up to an IV drip via a catheter."  
"I-what?" All three of the other men turned to look at the tall, dark-haired man in confusion.

"I read it in Lily's books. The potion stuff it's called an epidural. It's basically like a pain relief potion and they just put it directly where the pain is, so that she doesn't feel it hurt anymore."

"Huh. Well, whatever it is. It works! Lily's not so grumpy anymore. Now she's mostly pissed 'cause the labor's taking so long."

"Prongs."

"Yeah Wormtail?"

"Why are you so calm? When we first came here, you were practically foaming at the mouth."

"Uh." Quickly, James mumbled something that sounded a bit like 'pawning lotions,' under his breath.

"What?"

Clearing his throat, James irritatedly bit out, "Ahem. Calming Potions. Lily made me drink some of the calming potions she brought." He immediately flushed as all three of his friends snickered in reply. "Oh, piss off."

**July 30, 1980**

_Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset, UK_

_1:00 PM BST - Thirteen Hours After Lily's Initial Labor Pains Started..._

Sirius let out a huff of air as he flopped into the seat next to his best friend. "Calming potions finally wore off, Prongsie?" The handsome animagus raised an eyebrow at the continuing silence. "James? What's wrong?" Still, James didn't respond, rather, he scrubbed his hands over his face before entangling both hands in his messy, black hair, practically yanking his hair out. Sirius let out a low whistle and gripped James' shoulder. "James. Come on, tell me what's wrong. How can I help if you don't tell me the problem?"

With a mirthless chuckle, James finally answered, "Didn't your Order bracelet glow?"

"What? Yeah, I think for Alice and Frank. Apparently, she's having labor pains, too."

"Not just labor pains."

"You mean-" Sirius trailed off, understanding visible on his face. "Oh. Damn. I was hoping-, I mean- Shit."

"Yeah. Exactly. Probably means I'm a horrible person, right? Wishing that someone else's kid would be destined to, to...well, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Don't think it makes you horrible. I'm sure Alice and Frank are celebrating right now." Sadly, he asked, "Do you know what time the kid was born?"

"Dumbledore sent me a patronus message. They've named him Neville. Born at Noon."

"Damn." The dog animagus let out a long sigh, before continuing, "Well, maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. 'As the seventh month dies,' that's pretty ambiguous, after all. It could be referring to the entire last week of July. Oh! And what if, Lily doesn't deliver until August 1. She's already been in labor for hours. You never know."

James finally sat up and looked over at Sirius, "Nice try, Sirius. You don't believe that. But, maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves, a bit. He-," James furtively trailed off and glanced around, carefully casting an anti-eavesdropping spell, "Muffliato." Swallowing, James picked up on his earlier sentence, and continued speaking in a quiet whisper, "Voldemort has to 'mark' the one, somehow. If he decides to go after Frank and Alice's kid instead, then maybe..."

"Yeah. I hope-. Fuck, I know it's horrible to want that. Probably makes us horrible people. But-"

"I know. As long as it's not MY kid. My little girl."

"She's just a baby. Hell, she hasn't even been born yet. So's the Longbottom's kid, actually. They're both just...innocents. They shouldn't even be involved in this, crap-fest." Sirius broke off and the two best friends sat side-by-side as they waited for further news, their worry an almost-physical presence.

**July 31, 1980**

_Musgrove Park Hospital, Somerset, UK_

_11:56 PM BST – Almost 48 Hours After Lily's Initial Labor Pains Started..._

"Aauuuuugh! Aaaaaaaaah!" The screaming echoed down the almost empty hallways of the hospital. James Potter clenched his jaw to muffle his own scream of pain, as his wife practically crushed his hand. Lily Potter had been in labor for almost two full days, and it seemed the ordeal was finally, FINALLY, almost over. Even the experience-hardened Muggles were in shock at the abnormally slow pace of Lily's labor over the course of the past two days. The sudden turnaround within the past half hour was equally as worrisome. It had taken Lily roughly 45 hours to dilate up to five centimeters. At that point the Muggles had started discussing all sorts of worrisome procedures – cesar-somethings, amniotomy, episiotomy, some vack-ooom thing. Sirius had tried explaining the procedures, but they sounded horrific and James had opted not to listen to the frightening and overly vivid descriptions. Then just when they were starting to get all the damn paperwork together for James to sign, one of the healers started yelling about active labor and their was a flurry of movement around the delivery room. At the 47 hour mark, it had really picked up and the Muggles had started talking about something called transition and telling Lily to push. For roughly the past hour, Lily had been screaming and groaning in pain, and thoroughly crushing James' hand in between screams.

"Prongs." At first James ignored the hiss. "Prongs!"

"What?" He turned to face Sirius, who was peeking through the doorway. "What the hell, Padfoot. I'm a bit busy right now."  
Jaw clenching in horror as he caught a glimpse of the, situation, between Lily's legs, Sirius quietly made his way over to James. "Tell her to stop."

"What? What the fuck, Sirius. Now is not the time for a fucking prank."

"Shit. Prongs. Use your head for a goddamn minute. Alls she has to do is hold off for five, six minutes."  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
"It's 11:56, sorry, 57 now. July 31st. Few more minutes later, kid'll be born in August. Prophecy won't apply." Eyes widening in realization, James turned to his wife. Even with the amount of pain she was in, Lily heard Sirius' hissed words.

Before James could say anything, Lily did, "I'll try. But, this is hard. I don't know if I can..." She choked off with a yell of pain.

Gently, James brushed a few sweaty, strands of hair off of her forehead, "Shhh. It's okay, love. Just, just do your best."

Nodding, Lily trembled and cried as she tried to hold off pushing, for a few more minutes. The Muggles realized quickly that she wasn't pushing and immediately began urging her not to fight the sensations. "Oh god. Oh fuck. James, I can't. I can't!" With a whine of pain, Lily broke off into tears. "It hurts...oh God!"

One hand clenched in her own, the other brushing through her sweat-soaked hair, James soothed and supported his wife as she struggled to save their daughter from an unfortunate destiny. A few minutes pass and Lily could hold off no longer. After a final, agonizing push, a loud, infant's cry sounded through the air. The reddish, wrinkly newborn was gently but efficiently cleaned then slowly brought over to the new parents. The child cautiously placed onto Lily's chest, causing both James and Sirius to lean over in order to see better. Exhausted, Lily whispered, "Welcome to the world, Rose Jamie Potter."

"Lils, why's her head all...cone-shaped?" Before Lily could answer her husband, the healers began coaxing her into delivering the placenta. James was content to just stare in awe at the tiny life-form resting on top of his wife. Sirius, however, eternally curious, leaned forward and softly brushed a single finger across the infant's cheek. With a flutter of minuscule eyelashes, her eyes opened and she gazed up at her godfather. All three adults gasped in awe at the brilliant emerald green of her eyes, brighter then her mother's own.

With a flash of remembrance, James straightened up and turned to the main healer, "Excuse me, sir. What was the official date of birth? August 1st, yes?"

The healer shook his head with a soft smile, "No Mr. Potter. I suppose your daughter was very eager to be a July baby! Such a rapid progression from active labor to transition is exceedingly rare, especially in light of how slowly the first portion of Mrs. Potter's labor went. Her official date and time of birth is 11:59 PM, July 31st, 1980."

James, Lily, and Sirius thanked him with forced smiles, then quietly gazed down at the tiny newborn. "I'm sorry, James."  
"It's not your fault, Lily. You tried. Somethings we just can't control."

Sighing, Sirius offers, "I'll, uh, go tell Remus and Peter, they're still waiting outside. And I'll, uh, message Dumbledore too, I guess. He'll be wanting to know."

Both James and Lily simply nodded in reply as Sirius left the room. Tearfully, Lily wrapped her arms around the newborn resting on her chest. "James, I love her so much. If anything happens..." She trailed off, unable to give voice to the thoughts circling in her head.

"Nothing is going to happen to her. We won't let it."

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A/N: Yeah, so I work in the medical field...so I may have gotten too graphic/technical with the terminology/descriptions. If I did manage to gross you out, sorry! I hope you'll **review** and let me know what you thought anyway! Thanks!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	4. The Daily Prophet Classifieds

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! (P.S. Another new chapter! Cause I'm on a roll...:D!) And special thanks to Silverwolf77 for the nice reviews!

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Daily Prophet Classifieds**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "About 25 years ago, I started out as a reporter covering politics. And that sort of just evolved into organized crime, because organized crime and politics were the same thing in Boston." - Howie Carr  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

**The Daily Prophet**

**August 1, 1980**

_Classified Advertisements_

_- Page 2 -_

**JOBS**

Aurors – Please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

Security Services Director for Diagon Alley – Please contact F. Fortescue or T. Ogden

Security Wizard for St. Mungo's Hospital – Please contact St. Mungo's Hospital

Humsn Security Liason for Gringotts Bank – Please contact Gringotts Bank

Ingredient Hunters – Contact Slug & Jiggers Apothecary [_note: non-humans need not apply_]

**FOR SALE**

Slightly Used Quidditch Equipment – includes both pieces of slightly damaged Oakshaft 79

2 Toys and Games for the Young Witch or Wizard sets – includes Exploding Snap, Wizards Chess, and Gobstones (most pieces included)

Solid Gold Telescope – in full working condition, missing only three lenses

Complete Set of Madame Puddifoot's Tea Cake Recipe Books – tea stains included

One Glass Jar Filled with Odd Flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans – includes Silk, Gnome Hair, and Glass

Collection of Witch Weekly's Most Eligible Bachelor Poster's – includes seven, perfectly preserved copies of the shirtless Sirius Black poster, in full colour.

Cracked Crystal Ball – for sale by S. Trelawney

Set of Chocolate Frog Cards – buy one Morgana, get four free

Three Boxes of Abyssinian Shrivelfig – Guide to Shrinking Potions free with purchase

**LONELY HEARTS**

Skilled Seer seeks Sexy Centaur

Nervous Nanny seeks Powerful, Proficient, Protective Persons (Wizards and Witches with skull/snake tattoos unsuitable)

Potions Prodigy seeks Polyjuiced Witch (Red Hair and Green Eyes Preferred)

Shy Dwarf Girl seeks Strong Dwarven Warrior

Kinky Witch seeks Gnome Life Partner (Three Boxes of Horklump Meat available as dowry)

**BIRTHS**

Zacharias Smith – a son for Hannah and Aaron, born at 9:24 AM on July 25, 1980.

Neville Longbottom – a son for Alice and Frank, born at 12:00 PM on July 30, 1980.

Rose J. Potter – a daughter for Lily and James, born at 11:59 PM on July 31, 1980.

**DEATHS***

Adalbert Waffling

Nobby Leach

Ciceron Harkiss

Fridwulfa

Blodwyn Bludd

Justus Pilliwickle

Newt Scamander

**MISSING***

Regulus Arcturus Black – last seen Knockturn Alley on July 29, 1980 (_note: please mail all tips to DMLE by owl_)

_* Please see Evening Prophet - In Memoriam Section for Latest News on Deceased and/or Missing Persons_

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_Edited for typos: 08/05/2011_


	5. The Cranky Child

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912 for the nice review!

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Cranky Child**  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "People who say they sleep like a baby, usually don't have one." - Leo  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

**August 30, 1980**

_Godric's Hollow, one month after the birth of the Potter heiress, Rose Jamie Potter:_

"Oh Merlin. Please make it stop!" Lily Potter rocked her daughter in a vain attempt to stop the high-pitched wailing, her exasperated husband sat slumped nearby, practically in tears.

"Lily, please, I beg you. Make it stop! Do something. Anything!"

"Why don't you do something! I've been trying for the past half hour! You're the one that woke her up!" Lily paused to glare at James. "Do you remember what you said? 'Aww Lily, I'm bored! And, look at her all cute and asleep! Don't worry, I'll just wake her up for a little bit. She loves to play with me…I'll put her back to sleep in a little while!' I told you not to wake her up! I TOLD YOU!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were right, I was wrong. Who cares? Turn her off. How can someone so little make that much noise? It shouldn't even be possible! Can't you just…change her? Feed her! I don't know…make funny noises…do a dance. SOMETHING!"

Lily let out an exasperated growl, and then quietly bit out, "She needs to sleep. She's CRANKY because YOU woke her up. Don't you know ANYTHING, James? YOU DO NOT WAKE A SLEEPING BABY UP! I'm trying to get her to go back to sleep but she's too damn cranky now!"

"Yeah, well, can't you just stick your nipple in her mouth anyways? Maybe that'll muffle the noise?"

"Nipples? James! What's wrong with you? You can't discuss things like that in front of children. Why are you trying to corrupt my poor, innocent, little goddaughter?"

Practically yelling in order to be heard over Rose's crying, James looked up and asked Sirius, "Innocent, Padfoot? I think what you actually mean is little, evil, hell-devil spawn from the Netherworld. What are you doing here anyways? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Got off early. And Peter dropped by to visit me. He was going to drop in to visit you guys, but he heard Rose screaming her head off and didn't even bother to walk up the stairs." Sirius smirked and rolled his eyes as both parents gave him pleading looks. "Oh, stop torturing the poor kid. Hand her over to her handsome, wonderful, perfect, amazing godfather, Uncle Padfoot."

It was a mark of how exasperated Lily and James were that they didn't even dispute Sirius' praise of himself. Lily gratefully handed Rose over to Sirius, and then both James and Lily fled downstairs to escape the incessant screaming. Sirius grinned at the tiny, bawling infant in his arms. Face scrunched up angrily, arms curled into fists, and feet flailing all over, she was not exactly the dictionary definition of cute, and yet, "You are so cute. Yes, you are. Oh, yes you are." If anyone were to see Hogwarts' most infamous playboy, they wouldn't have believed their eyes… Sirius baby-talked and cooed at the infant, while he gently rocked and soothed her. "Such a cute, widdle baby. You're my favowite widdle baby, aren't you? Yes you are." Smiling, he slowly sat down in the rocking chair, still cooing to the infant in his arms. "Aw, widdle Rose, are you sad? Don't be sad. Uncle Padfoot will make it all better. Yes, he will. Don't cry, widdle baby, it's okay. Yes it is." Yawning, he continued his litany of nonsensical phrases, "Shhhhh…That's my little girl. There's a good girl. That's it. Shhh. It's okay. Sleepy time, baby girl. Shh, it's okay. Therrre you go. It's okaaa-" Letting out a wide yawn, Sirius kept rocking as his voice slowly trailed off and his head slowly tilted forward. Within minutes, both godfather and goddaughter were fast asleep, and more importantly, quiet.

The door to the nursery very sloooowly creaked open and Lily and James poked their heads in. Awed, Lily whispered to James, "Oh thank Merlin. He made her stop." Then, she paused and turned to her husband, "Dammit. I just realized."

"What?"

"Clearly, I married the wrong Marauder. I should so have married Sirius."

"WHAT!"

"Shhh! Are you crazy? She just went back to sleep, what are you trying to wake her back up?"

"No, no, sorry." Pouting, James walked into the nursery and stepped over to where Sirius and Rose were fast asleep on the rocking chair.

"You know, she looks so peaceful and adorable…"

Lily smiled and linked arms with James, "Yeah, she does. They both do."

Cheerfully grinning, both parents stared at the sleeping duo for a few moments, then, "Um. Lily?"

"Yes?"

"I'm bored. Can I wake them up to play? They can go back to sleep in a little while!"

"NO! James! What is wrong with you?"

Sirius stirred and looked up, frowning, "Lily? Why'd you wake me up?"

Before Lily could respond, or rather, blame James, Rose stirred and slowly awoke. Horrified, Lily, James, and Sirius stared down at her, silently begging her to go back to sleep. She looked up, snuggled deeper into Sirius' arms, and then closed her eyes. All three adults relaxed with sighs of relief. Just as Lily opened her mouth to, presumably, scold James. Rose opened her eyes again. She took one look at Lily and James leaning over her, screwed up her face – clearly displeased –, and began to wail.

* * *

A/N: Yes this chapter is one of the original chapters...hopefully it's all starting to flow better now! As always, please review and let me know what you think!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	6. The Hogwarts Register

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Silverwolf77, athenakitty, and merdarkandtwisty for the nice reviews!

**A/N: The 'excerpts' from the Hogwarts Register are mainly set up for later in One Wish itself – it wouldn't hurt your understanding at all to just read the first couple paragraphs of actual story and then SKIP to the next chapter.**

**Pureblood **= Both parents and all grandparents are magical, the further the magical ability the more generations of pureblooded-ness i.e. if all great-grandparents are magical, but at least one great-great-grandparent isn't, the child is a 2nd generation pureblood.  
**Fullblood** = Both parents are magical, grandparents are either magical or proven squibs. If a fullblood has a child with a pureblood or another fullblood the resulting child will be considered a 1st generation pureblood. The book identifies these children as purebloods.  
**Halfblood **= One magical or squib parent, one non-magical parent.  
**Squib-born** = Both parents are proven squibs NOT muggleborn. Some magical ancestry must be present. The book identifies these children as either muggleborn or pureblood depending on how far the magical ancestry is.  
**Muggleborn** = No magical parents.

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Hogwarts Register**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Any institution becomes a community - whether it's a high school or a boarding school or a publishing company or a small town where everybody knows certain things about people." - Alice Hoffmann  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**September 15, 1980**

_Hogwarts' Grounds_

A freakishly-long, white beard, garishly colored robes, and severe frown lines on his forehead, combined to make Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Hogwarts' Headmaster, a very unusual site. The wizened headmaster was quickly making his way down the path leading to Hogwarts' gates when he heard, "Albus!" Recognizing his Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall's voice, Albus halted in his tracks and calmly waited for her to reach him.

"Minerva, my dear, how are you?"

"I'm as well as can be expected, Albus, considering that there's a war on. Yourself?"

"I am feeling quite fit actually. I was headed down to the Ministry, the Minister wished to discuss some of Hogwarts' most recent graduates. Would you care to join me?" The sentence was, of course, code and thus, intentionally misleading. Dumbledore had no intention of heading to the rather corrupt Ministry, instead he was on his way to Order headquarters to discuss the latest intelligence with his closest advisors.

"Yes, I remember you told me of your plans earlier. Unfortunately, I cannot join you, I have far too much to prepare for next week's lessons. Actually, I simply wanted to give you this before you left," as she spoke, Minerva carefully lifted a very large, very ancient tome up and into Albus' arms. "I've verified the Quill's entries and the full Entering Class of 1991 is listed. All of the pureblood, fullblood, and halfblood children have responded with their acceptances or lack thereof." Albus nodded in encouragement, realizing his former student had something else she wished to say, "Albus...there's less than half the number of students we have had in past years. Already, there is one death among the list from an attack. Merlin only knows how many children did not even survive to be recorded in the Book."

"I know Minerva, I know. It is a sad time for all in our world."

Lips thinning as she pressed them together, Minerva shook her head, "Many of our multinational students are choosing to attend other institutions. The number of muggleborn students is at a record low. If this war drags on too much longer..." She trailed off for a moment, then continued, "If it drags on, I imagine the older families will begin pulling their children out and choosing to home-school via tutors. Hogwarts can only survive so much, Albus."

Sighing, Albus tightened his hold on the Book. "We will persevere and Hogwarts will survive. She has survived for a thousand years, she will continue to do so. As for this war, someday it will be a little more then a story in the history books."

"I hope you're right, Albus. I really do hope you're right."

"As do I, Minerva." With a final exchange, Albus stepped outside the Hogwarts' gates, beyond the wards, and apparated to Order Headquarters. Having arrived earlier then the rest of his closest associates, he made his way to the fireplace, where he settled into a comfortable, overstuffed, purple armchair. Placing the Book in his lap, he opened it and gently turned the pages until he came to page 4731. Quietly, he read through the pages, his Deputy Headmistress' neat, handwritten notes located beside each entry made by the enchanted quill...

* * *

Summary: Excerpts from the Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births, covering early-March 1979 to mid-September 1980.

Note: 'regular font' and '**bold font**' = information automatically recorded via enchanted quill. '_italics font_' – Deputy Headmistress' notes.

* * *

**Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births**

Page 4731

_Births: March 5th, 1979 to October 14th, 1979_

**03/05/1979 – Eddie Carmichael**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1990_  
Acceptance

**04/09/1979 – Ralph Branagh**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend The Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts - __Fullblood_

**05/24/1979 – Cho Chang**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1990_

**05/25/1979 – Marietta Edgecombe**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1990_

**06/08/1979 – Katie Bell**  
Halfblood – letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance_ Received_, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1990_

**06/30/1979 – Alan Hurt**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend The Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts_

**07/14/1979 – Cormac McLaggen**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1990_  
Acceptance

**07/18/1979 – Medha Singh**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend Jaaduu Shiksha Gurukal in Punjab_

**09/19/1979 – Hermione Granger**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**09/29/1979 – Millicent Bulstrode**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**10/03/1979 – Justin Finch-Fletchley**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**10/14/1979 – Katherine McDougal**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, per tradition McDougal heir will be home-schooled_

* * *

**Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births**

Page 4732

_Births: October 22nd, 1979 to January 10th, 1980_

**10/22/1979 – Susan Bones**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**10/23/1979 – Wayne Hopkins**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**10/31/1979 – Stephen Cornfoot**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**11/01/1979 – Lisa Turpin**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**11/11/1979 – Amanda Chen**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend Chinese Magical Academy - Fullblood_

**11/19/1979 – Kevin Entwhistle**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**11/23/1979 – Mandy Brocklehurst**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**12/07/1979 – Quincy Rivers**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**12/12/1979 – Tracey Davis**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**12/27/1979 – Bern Berthold V**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend Durmstrang Institute_

**01/06/1980 – Terry Boot**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**01/10/1980 – Gregory Goyle**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

* * *

**Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births**

Page 4733

_Births: January 16th, 1980 to March 3rd, 1980_

**01/16/1980 – Blaise Zabini**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**01/16/1980 – Theodore Nott**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**01/16/1980 – Fionna Gambon**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend The Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts_

**01/24/1980 – Vincent Crabbe**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

_**02/03/1980 – Quaid Quirrel**__  
_Pureblood – _Deceased. Infant fatally injured in Death Eater attack._  
Acceptance

**02/10/1980 – Seamus Finnigan**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**02/13/1980 – John Malone**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, per tradition O'Connor Clan heir will be home-schooled_

**02/27/1980 – Michael Corner**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**02/28/1980 – Dean Thomas**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**02/29/1980 – Su Li**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**03/01/1980 – Ronald Weasley**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**03/03/1980 – Pansy Parkinson**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

* * *

**Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births**

Page 4734

_Births: March 16th, 1980 to May 25th, 1980_

**03/16/1980 – Daphne Greengrass**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**03/27/1980 – Sophie Roper**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**03/29/1980 – Lavender Brown**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**04/03/1980 – Padma Patil**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**04/04/1980 – Parvati Patil**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**04/25/1980 – Ernie Macmillan**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**04/29/1980 – Megan Jones**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**04/29/1980 – Mariah Spinks**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991 - Fullblood_

**05/01/1980 – Anthony Goldstein**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**05/13/1980 – Lilavati Moon**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth; student will declare chosen school of magic, from JSG, CMA, or Hogwarts, prior to August 1st, 1981_  
Acceptance

**05/20/1980 – Hannah Abbott**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**05/25/1980 – Mathilda May**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend Beauxbatons Academy of Magic - Fullblood_

* * *

**Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births**

Page 4735

_Births: June 5th, 1980 to September 12th, 1980_

**06/05/1980 – Draco Malfoy**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**06/09/1980 – Patrick Runcorn**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1991_  
Acceptance

**06/14/1980 – Sally-Ann Perks**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991 - Fullblood_

**06/28/1980 – Carlos Oliveira**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Declined, will attend Brazilian Wizarding School_

**06/29/1980 – Morag McDougal**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth; will attend Hogwarts although her older sister will not_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**07/25/1980 – Zacharias Smith**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**07/30/1980 – Neville Longbottom**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth  
_Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991_

**07/31/1980 – Rose Potter**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1991 - Fullblood_

**08/02/1980 – Luna Lovegood**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1992_

**08/08/1980 – Douglas Harper**  
Pureblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1992_

**08/29/1980 – Eloise Midgen**  
Halfblood – _letter sent within six weeks of child's birth_  
Acceptance _Received, Hogwarts' Entering Class of 1992_

**09/12/1980 – Colin Creevey**  
Muggleborn – _letter to be sent July 1992_  
Acceptance

* * *

Notes about this chapter...

"_How can two Muggles have a kid with magical powers? Also how does the Ministry of Magic find out these kids have powers? _

A. It's the same as two black-haired people producing a redheaded child. Sometimes these things just happen, and no one really knows why! The Ministry of Magic doesn't find out which children are magic. In Hogwarts there's a magical quill which detects the birth of a magical child, and writes his or her name down in a large parchment book. Every year Professor McGonagall checks the book, and sends owls to the people who are turning 11. "

**Source: Online Chat transcript, 3 February 2000.**

"_Do all young people in Britain's Wizarding World go to Hogwarts? For example, did Stan Shunpike attend Hogwarts? Or is Hogwarts a school just for those who are particularly good at magic while others go into trades without formal schooling? [Mugglenet/Lexicon question]_

A. Everyone who shows magical ability before their eleventh birthday will automatically gain a place at Hogwarts; there is no question of not being 'magical enough'; you are either magical or you are not. There is no obligation to take up the place, however; a family might not want their child to attend Hogwarts."

**Source: JKRowling's Official Website**

* * *

**A/N: Keeping the above in mind, I decided that for One Wish the Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births also differentiates between the pureblood, halfblood, and muggleborn status of the children whose birth it detects. Obviously, I've made some changes from the way JKR does the letters, etc., but well, that's why this is fanfic, right? And finally, August 1st is the so-called cut-off date, meaning that children born after August 1st are placed in the subsequent year's class.**

General Dates of Importance:

_July 21st_ – Hogwarts' Book of Magical Births is checked for up-to-date list of upcoming students...Deputy Headmistress does final update of book with newly received responses (accepted/declined) from pureblood, halfblood, squib-born, and fullblood students.

_July 22nd_ – Acceptance Letters to muggleborn/muggle-raised students and Welcome Packets for confirmed students are written by magical quill.

_July 23rd to July 24th_ – Welcome Packets with supply lists delivered to all non-muggleborn/muggle-raised students via Owl Post

_July 23rd to July 31st_ – Faculty/Staff personally deliver Acceptance Letters and supply lists to muggleborn/muggle-Raised Students

_July 11th to July 31st_ – Deputy Headmistress verifies and collates class list then submits list to Headmaster and Hogwarts Board of Governor's for review.

Hogwarts Class List finalized on August 1st – Students failing to accept/reject will automatically be sent letter in subsequent admittance cycle.

* * *

A/N: As always, please review and let me know what you think! Oh, and in case anyone is wondering why, I didn't write the dates in European style, with the day before the month, it's because my Word Processing software was going crazy whenever I tried.

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	7. The Firsts, Part One

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! (P.S. Another new chapter! Cause I'm on a roll...:D!) And special thanks to Cinderella912 for the nice review!

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** Baby's Firsts, part one**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." - Anonymous  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**18 September 1980**

_Seven Weeks_

"Holy Crap! Literally. Merlin, Lily, what the hell are you feeding this thing!"

"Padfoot! She's not a thing! She's my daughter!"

"She's toxic, Prongs. I don't know what you and your wife are doing to her, but clearly it's producing crimes against nature. You can't honestly expect me to believe you're putting normal food inside of her and it's somehow being changed into...into whatever the hell **this** is on the way out?"  
"PADFOOT!"  
"What? What are you yelling at me for? Moony, Wormtail, can you smell this? Or see it? It's-it's like, I don't even have words. But I'm pretty sure it's illegal. And wrong. And immoral."  
James, shook her head in exasperation, as his wife leaned back in his arms. "Lily, why did we make him Godfather again?"  
Laughing, the redhead retorted, "Be nice James. From what I remember, you were even worse the first time you had to change her diaper." Flushing, James didn't say another word, he remembered quite clearly how hysterical he'd been the first time.

Remus, however, had no problem mocking Sirius' efforts, "Aw, Padfoot. I thought you were the biggest, strongest, most manly Marauder out of the four of us. Are you really being defeated by one, little, smelly diaper?"

As Sirius paused to answer the question, he forgot to pay attention to the placement of his hand. Lily, watching his progress carefully, noticed how Sirius' hand rested on top of the clean cloth diaper, already positioned between her lazily kicking legs. Giggling in anticipation, she elbowed James and pointed it out, whispering, "James, look." James, along with Remus and Peter, who were standing on either side of the couple, all began snickering once they realized what was about to happen.

Confused by the muffled snickers, Sirius once again spun around, asking "What are you all laughing about now?" Before any of the others could respond, a quiet sssss could be heard. Sirius froze. Very slowly, he turned and looked down on his hand, his very wet, smelly hand. At a loss for words, Sirius' jaw dropped as he stared down at the cheerfully giggling baby who had just peed on him.

*CLICK*

The bright flash of light and click of the shutter caused Sirius' head to snap up. Smirking in amusement, Remus held up a camera. Giggling, Lily commented, "So much for The First Time Sirius Changed Rose's Diaper. Now, we can put it in the Baby's Firsts Book, under, "The First Time Rose Peed on Sirius."

As Sirius continued to stare down at the giggling baby in consternation, Peter jokingly observed, "Maybe she thought you deserved it. After all, all the rest of us have been changing her diaper for weeks now. Unlike you, who waited until she was seven weeks old to even try."

"Well, maybe she was just trying to speak your language, Padfoot."

"What?"

James continued, thoroughly amused, "Well, your animagus IS a dog. Don't dogs go around and mark their territory by peeing on it? Maybe she was just trying to do the same thing."

"Dogs don't go around peeing on people. Lawns and trees and brooms and stuff yes. People no." Sulkily, he glared down at the infant, "That wasn't nice. I thought I was your favorite. If you want to pee on someone pee on Prongs or Moony or Wormtail. Not me!" He paused, grabbed the box of baby wipes and furiously cleaned off his hand. Pouting, he picked Rose up, lifting her so that he could look her directly in her eyes. "Hey kid. Are you paying attention? Yes? Good. Now let's get one thing straight. I am your most favorite person in the whole world, which means you never ever pee on me. Got it?" As Sirius nodded, showing Rose what the correct response should be, she drooled softly, scrunching up her face. His own brow knitting, Sirius held her with one arm and ran the other hand across her forehead, trying to smooth it out, "What's wrong? Why are you all scrunchy?"

Lily's eyes went wide as she quickly blurted out, "Uh Sirius, maybe you should put her down, because-" Before Lily could finish her sentence, their was a quiet sssss, and a visibly wet patch appeared on Sirius' shirt.

* * *

**25 September 1980**

_Eight Weeks_

"Boys! She's doing it again!" Four handsome, young men leapt up, crowding around a tiny 7-week old baby held in the arms of her wide-eyed mother. All five stared down, expectantly. The little girl stared straight up at the adults leaning over her, face completely blank of emotion. Smiling at the baby nestled in her arms, Lily started cooing and baby talking, trying to coax a smile out of her daughter. A few minutes passed with no response from the infant. The tallest man, with dark hair and mercurial blue-grey eyes, frowned slightly, looking up from the child.

"Lily, maybe it was just gas? In all of those Muggle books, they said she's not really going to start smiling because of us until she's at least nine weeks. That's not until tomorrow."

"It definitely wasn't gas. And eight weeks is close enough. Besides, all those books say the **average** baby doesn't start smiling in response to his or her family until she's about nine weeks. Some babies start earlier!"

"Aw, stop arguing guys. Here, lemme try!" Lily handed off the baby to her husband in reply. "Come on Rosie-Posie, why don't you smile for Daddy!" Rose continued to stare blankly up at her father. One by one the others all tried to coax smiles out of her. Frustrated, Peter shrugged, remarking, "Maybe it was just gas."

Sirius rolled his eyes and smirked, "Told you so! Anyway, let me hold her. If she's going to smile, she's going to smile for me not one of you losers." The other four all glared at him, but handed the infant over. Sirius grinned down at Rose, "It was just gas, wasn't it? Your silly Mum doesn't know what she's talking about, does she?"

Just as Lily opened her mouth to yell at Sirius, her face flushed red in anger, Rose gurgled. Then, before Sirius' stunned eyes, his goddaughter cooed, the sight of his face and the sound of his voice triggering an unmistakable, irresistible grin.

* * *

**27 November 1980**

_Seventeen Weeks_

"And then, we all hear this sssss sound. As soon as he turned we could see this giant wet patch on his favorite Puddlemere shirt." The wearied members of the Order all laughed as James finished the story.

Fabian, Gideon, and some of the other Order members laughingly mocked the Black heir, who was sprawled in an armchair, arms crossed and lips pursed in a childish pout. While the taunting continued, a tired but happy Lily Potter sailed into the room, carrying her four-month-old daughter, adorably clothed in a pink dress with stitched flower appliqués and a matching sun-hat. Before Lily was even halfway to the couch her husband sat on, Sirius was holding out his arms for the child. The other Order members, the ones who hadn't been around the Marauders while they hid in the Muggle world during Lily's pregnancy, watched in shock as the notorious playboy gently cradled Rose in his lap. His pout and slouched posture immediately faded as he made silly faces and tickled the infant. At first, the baby just looked up at Sirius, with her sweet, baby grin. After a few moments of watching Sirius, the others one by one turned away and began to discuss more serious things, while they waited for Dumbledore to arrive and the meeting to begin.

Edgar Bones and Arthur Weasley fell into a debate about the appropriate amount of resources needed in order to protect the Muggles and the noise in the meeting room grew louder and louder as everyone took sides. An odd sound filled the room, at first unnoticed. As the sound repeated, the cacophony slowly quieted as each person searched for the source. The noise repeated a third time, a mix between a high-pitched squeal and a delighted giggle.

James sucked in a sharp breath as the sound registered, "Sirius! Is-is she..? She's laughing!" Eyes wide, he and Lily both shot up and crowded around Sirius' armchair, looking over Sirius' shoulders.

Grinning wildly, Sirius placed his hands in front of his face, teasing, "Rose! Where are you?" Pulling his hands away, he answered his own question, "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" The infant immediately squealed and giggled, her baby laughter sounding throughout the room. Grins appeared on every face in response to the sound. Sirius continued coaxing laughs out of the seventeen week old baby as her parents watched over his shoulders.

While everyone silently observed the family, Arthur stood to help Minerva and Albus, who had just stepped through the doorway. Quietly, Minerva asked, "Is everything okay? I haven't heard it this quiet since that meeting when Lily silenced both Sirius and Severus."

Arthur cheerfully replied, "Sirius is playing peek-a-boo with Rose. Baby laughter is absolutely the sweetest sound; she's captivated everyone into silence."

Minerva nodded in agreement and some of the stress lines vanished from Albus' face as he heard the baby laugh. Minerva lightly patted Arthur's arm and the three made there way to their seats while the rest of the Order arranged itself into a loose circle. James conjured up a chair and sat down next to the armchair, brushing his fingers gently against his daughter's cheek. Lily stepped over to the couch and curled up in between Peter and Remus, her eyes dancing as Rose's squeals and giggles filled the room. Even Alastor wasn't immune to the sound, his gruff expression softening into a smile in response to the innocent laughter.

* * *

A/N: I've still got to finish the second part of this chapter, but I wanted to post today, so I split it into two parts... It works out okay though, because there's a bit of a time jump to the next first. Anyways, I hope you liked it! Please review after you read! :D!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	8. The Firsts, Part Two

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! (P.S. Another new chapter is already half written! :D!) And special thanks to Cinderella912, merdarkandtwisty, athenakitty, SilverWolf77, and Lady Nashi for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** Baby's Firsts, part two**  
Rating:** PG - for some bad language  
**Summary:** "A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." - Anonymous  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**10 April 1981**

_36 weeks_

*BANG* *CRASH*

*CLANG CLANG CLANG BANG*

Both Lily and James groaned in exasperation at the noise caused by various pots and pans being knocked over. Exhausted, Lily buried her head under the pillow and refused to move, despite James' insistent nudges. Glaring at his wife's prostrate body, James staggered to his feet and slowly walked out of the master bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. As soon as he entered, he could see the source of all the noise. His eight and a half month old daughter had crawled into the kitchen, **again**, and was very happily banging a wooden spoon on a large selection of pots and pans, **AGAIN**. Sighing, James scooped Rose up off of the floor and made his way to the parlor, as she squirmed and wiggled trying to get down. Upset at being removed from her musical masterpiece, Rose began banging her wooden spoon on James' head.

"Rose! Stop that, I mean it kiddo! Keep it up and you are definitely going to be grounded!" James froze in his tracks when he heard the amused snickering of his best friend. "Shut up Sirius. This is not funny! When she first started crawling, it was adorable. But now? Now she's crawling so fast, we can barely keep up. Just the other day, I put her down on the master bed to change her diaper. I looked away for literally three seconds and she'd somehow crawled underneath the comforter and peed all over the bed. And then Lily yelled at me, saying it was my fault for not paying enough attention! Plus, we have to constantly chase her all around the house, because we still haven't had time to baby-proof anything. PLUS, she's somehow figured out how to open the cabinets, probably her accidental magic kicking in, but she pulls all the pots and pans out and starts banging on them! ALL OF THE TIME! I thought once she started sleeping through the night, we were supposed to be able to catch up on the missed sleep? But nooooo, now she wants to play the damn drums at bloody three in the morning!"

As James' rant continued, Sirius broke out into his familiar barking laugh. The sound of his laughter caused Rose to finally stop beating her father with the spoon. Instead, she began twisting and kicking and reaching for Sirius, who – unbeknownst to Lily and James – was the one to first teach Rose how to make music with a wooden spoon and assorted pots and pans. "Relaaax Prongs. I'm pretty sure she doesn't understand the concept of grounding at this point. Here, why don't I take the mini-princess here to my place. I actually had time to baby-proof so it'll be fine. And this way, you and Lily can catch up on your sleep." Grinning, Sirius paused, "Or you know, **not** catch up..." Too exhausted to even comment on Sirius' innuendo, James handed Rose over, wearily nodded his agreement, and slowly stumbled up the stairs, rubbing his aching forehead. In his exhaustion he didn't even bother to question just why Sirius had shown up at the Potter's home at 3AM in the morning. With a pleased smirk, Sirius looked down at the baby in his arms, "Nicely done, my little protégé. You are well on your way to becoming our very first Marauderette. I would give the too early, morning wake-up call a total of 20 points for sheer annoyance-creation. Also, the spoon bashing/abuse of your dad was definitely worth an extra 10 points." Rose gurgled and scrunched up her face in reply. Her godfather stared at her for a minute, observing, "Yeah. We definitely need to work on your communication skills, kid."

* * *

**1 May 1981**

_39 weeks_

"Wave bye-bye to Mummy and Daddy! Wave bye-bye!" The 9-month old infant, flapped her hand open and shut, at her godfather's request. The adorable sight caused both parents to immediately rush back over to their daughter and begin fussing over her.

Sirius, smirked and rolled his eyes, "So, I guess you two aren't going out then?"

"Aww, how could we leave our pwecious, widdle, baby girl behind. She's so smart and perfect, yes you are, yes you are!" While Lily dissolved into compliments and adoring murmurs, James flooed the Golden Flake Bar and Grill to cancel their reservations.

Snickering, Sirius remarked, "You two are pathetic. I can't believe you would get all bent up out of shape, just because she waved at you on her own power for the first time." Not letting either adult Potter take Rose from his arms, he lifted her closer up to his face, asking, "Isn't that right, princess? Your parents are so silly, right? Let's tell them, how silly they are." Jokingly, Sirius shifted Rose to face Lily and James, and while raising his voice to resemble a high-pitched, faux baby voice, mocked, "Say: Mummy and Daddy, you are so silly! I like Padfoot loads better than you, you should let me stay with him all the time!"

"Pafoo!" The three adults immediately fell silent and Sirius spun Rose back around to face him.

"What did you say?"

"Pafoo! Pafoo! Pafoo!"

"She said my name! She said her first word! She said my name as her first word!" Sirius, who just a minute before had been mocking Lily and James for their over-the-top adoration of Rose, was worse than both the other two combined. Cooing and cheering at his goddaughter's brilliance, Sirius's praises were completely irrational; at one point; he insisted that by just saying a single word Rose had already proven she would one day be a brilliant public speaker.

After a good fifteen minutes or so of illogically excessive and exaggerated compliments, Lily frowned and turned to her husband, "Wait a minute. MY daughter's first word is HIS name?"

Not allowing James to answer, Sirius retorted, "I told you she likes me better than you!"

* * *

**12 June 1981**

_45 weeks_

"Hey guys, what-"

"Shhhhhh!" James froze as both his wife and his best friend immediately shushed him.

"What?" He whispered, pulling out his wand, and glancing around for intruders, "What's going on?"  
"James, you idiot. Put your wand away." Lily rolled her eyes and pulled him down onto the ground next to her. "Look at Rose!" Lily carefully pointed at their daughter, who had pulled herself up into a standing position, using the coffee table as a support.

"Come on kiddo. Come on. Just let go of the table. Then, lift your foot up and come towards me." Sirius gently coaxed the little girl, trying to get her to finally take her first steps. "Oi, Evans. Go grab a camera or something."  
"You grab a camera! I'm her mother, I need to see her first steps more than you!" Rolling his eyes, as Lily and Sirius once again started their bizarre, ongoing custody battle over Rose's time and attention, James summoned the camera and shifted so that Rose could see him.

While the other two continued their fight, James gently pulled Rose away from the table and stood her up in front of him. She babbled and wavered in place for a moment, struggling to maintain her balance, then with a 'whump' she fell flat on her butt. He picked her up again, holding out his hands for her to grab onto, and gently moving them away from her. "Come on baby, you can do it." As she wiggled one foot, clearly trying to lift it and move it forward, he coaxed, "Yes you can walk now, baby. You're a big girl! Come to Daddy, woo, come on! Look at Daddy!" He laughed as she once again fell to the ground. Seemingly loosing interest in him and Rose crawled speedily over to Lily. Pulling herself up onto her feet, using Lily's legs as a support, Rose began to gnaw on her Mum's knee.

"Ew. Rose! Mummy is not a chew toy!" Snickering, Sirius took the camera from James and carefully handed it over to Lily; in her distracted state, she took it without protest.

James lifted his daughter up and away from Lily, standing Rose in the center of the room and stepping away. After a moment, James again called her towards himself, "Come on! Just lift one foot, you can do it, Princess! Come on, let's start walking!" As he spoke to his daughter, she bounced in place, jerkily nodding, and half-lifting one leg. "Walk towards me, baby! Walk towards Daddy!"

Finally, with a loud, "Dada!" she took a single step towards him, before falling down again. Sirius carefully moved behind her and picked her up again. "Come on. You're not walking yet! Gotta take more then one step, princess!" The three adults laughed, amused, as she stood in the center of the room, almost drunkenly weaving from side to side.

Giggling and squealing at her parents and godfather's laughter, she jerkily walked three steps before falling again. But the three steps were enough to please her family, as James immediately scooped her up, laughing, and gently tossed her up in the air. Rose shrieked in joy at the sensation, prompting her family to laugh delightedly.

"Lily, did you get that on camera! She was walking!" Sirius cheerfully asked his best friend's wife.

"I got it! I got it!"

* * *

**24 July 1981**

_51 weeks_

"Say Quidditch. Say Quid-ditch. Come on baby, say Quid-ditch."

"James. She's only recently started speaking, I don't think she's quite ready to be saying complicated words like Quidditch just yet. The fact that she can say 'Mama', 'Dada', 'Pea-er', 'Mooey' and 'Pafoo' is impressive enough."

"I know that, but we have to make sure she properly appreciates Quidditch!"

"James, you know, she might not even like Quidditch. Maybe she'll be a Ravenclaw and she'll study and be the top of her class!" Lily sighed dreamily as she imagined her daughter being the top student , causing jealousy in all of the other parents.

James and Sirius both stared in horror, with James sputtering, "Blasphemy! BLASPHEMY! I can't believe you would say something so horrific."

Sirius immediately covered the baby's ears with his hands, answering Lily with, "Merlin, Lily. What if she heard you? Don't give her ideas!" He pulled his arms away and then bent so that he was eye-to-eye with the baby in James' arms. "Rose. Listen to me. You love Quidditch. It's the best sport in the whole world. Ever. Period. Also, when you grow up, you're going to be the number one Quidditch player in the world."

Nodding, James seconded the assertion, "Probably seeker. Especially with the way she's always trying to grab shiny stuff. Actually, speaking of seeking..." James trailed off and handed the baby to Sirius. Then, he pulled out his wand and conjured a miniature, golden, toy snitch. Gently, while keeping it within her reach, he held it above Rose. Immediately snatching it and cooing, she began to gnaw on the little toy.

Lily snickered, saying, "Hopefully she'll be catching the snitch when she grows up, rather than eating it!"

Sirius ignored the laughing redhead and reached for the snitch, "We should see if she can catch a real snitch yet."  
"Sirius, she's not even a year old yet. I'm pretty sure if we give her a real snitch she's not going to be able to catch it."  
"You never know James. Maybe she'll be some kind of Quidditch prodigy. Anyway, I'm not saying that we give her a professional-level snitch. But like a toy snitch that can hover and fly away from her a bit. It's never to early to start training, right kiddo?"

The three adults turned to look at the young baby, who simply looked up at that them and babbled in her own language. She waved her hands in the air, as if trying to make a point. The movement combined with the drool covering both her hands and the snitch caused her grip on the toy to loosen. Because of her unsteady hold, Rose fumbled the toy snitch, accidentally dropping it to the floor. Her gorgeous green eyes went wide, as she twisted in Sirius' arms to look at the snitch on the floor, then quite clearly said, "Oh shit."

James, Sirius, and Lily's jaws dropped. Silently, they gaped in shock. Finally, Lily asked, "Did she-did she just-? Did you hear...?" Unable to finish any of her questions, she just stared at her little girl in horror.

Sirius, on the other hand, moved past his shock, asking, "Hrm. I wonder what other bad words she 's picked up?" Seemingly talking to himself, he muttered, "Should probably teach her some more so she can keep up with the other potty-mouth babies."

"SIRIUS!" Both parents voices echoed around the room.

Sniggering, Sirius retorted, "What? It's not my fault your daughter's cussing at the tender age of 11 months and 3 weeks!"

Neither parent had a response. Finally, James looked up at Lily who stared right back at him. Afterward, none of the three could say who laughed first, but by the time Remus and Peter showed up for dinner an hour later, all three were still occasionally snickering.

* * *

**31 July 1981**

_52 weeks_

*SQUISHHH*

"Ew, gross."

"Well, look on the bright side Lily."  
"What possible 'bright side' am I supposed to be looking at exactly, Black?"

"Uh, um, at least now you know for sure that the kitchen's going to be spotless. Since we're all helping to throughly clean it and all."

"The kitchen was already spotless! It would have stayed spotless if you hadn't trained my daughter to throw whatever what was closest at Severus' head!"

"Heh."

"It's not funny, Sirius!" None of the other adults responded to Lily's yell. All four were too busy laughing, as in Sirius's case, or trying to hide their laughter, as in James, Remus, and Peter's cases. "I mean it! Look at my kitchen! There's cake and-and, is that bacon...on MY ceiling? Never mind, the point is there's food splattered everywhere!"

Sirius, who had finally managed to get his laughter under control, quickly retorted, "Well, you can't really blame Rose, she's only a year old, today!"

"I'm not blaming my infant daughter. I'm blaming you, for corrupting her!"

"My little protégé is brilliant isn't she." Sirius broke off to smile dreamily, imagining all the chaos she would help him to cause in the future. Upon seeing the tomato red color of Lily's face, he hurriedly continued, "How-ever, when I said you can't blame Rose, what I really meant was that you should blame Snivellus! Really! What kind of adult throws a plate of food at a year old baby! Just because she threw a tiny, minuscule amount of mashed peas into his hair..."

"She levitated her entire bowl of mashed peas at him...and then she levitated the whole cake on top of him! As for Severus throwing his food, he was aiming for you!"  
"Wow. He's got really horrible aim then, because he only barely managed to hit Moony. And Moony was on the opposite side of Rose then I was."

Remus quickly broke in, "Yeah, it wasn't my fault I threw the pizza back at him – it was a reflex! It also was definitely not my fault he ducked and the pizza hit Edgar."

Snickering, Peter muttered, "Yeah and then Edgar hit James with the chips, and then James threw the pudding at Alice, and then Alice threw her juice at Sirius..."

"Yes, yes, I remember what happened. You don't have to describe it again. Bloody adults acting like two-year-olds. The POINT IS, my kitchen now looks like a pig-sty!" Lily took in a deep breath, undoubtedly so she could continue screaming at Sirius.

James gently soothed her, saying, "Aw, Lils, don't let your blood pressure get too high. Why don't you go lay down upstairs. The boys and I will make your kitchen spotless, I promise."  
"Without magic?"

"Of course, how else will we be properly punished!" With an angry nod, Lily agreed and stomped up the staircase to the master bedroom. The four men watched her climb the staircase and after they heard the door shut, they waited another five minutes before any of them said anything.

"So," Peter spoke up, "are we really not going to use any magic?" Rather than responding with words, James simply pulled his wand out and began to vanish the food covering every inch of the kitchen.

Pulling out his own wand, Sirius piped up, "Hrm, maybe this should be a new birthday tradition! Doesn't it sound great? Every year on Rose's birthday, we drench Snivellus in food! That way he'll be forced to take a shower at least once a year!" Sirius paused for a minute as he realized his three best friends had stopped what they were doing and were now staring at him in horror, "What? It's a great idea!" He frowned as none of the other three made any move to agree with him, "Jeez, you could at least smile at the thought of Snivellus covered in food. It's not like Lily's standing behind me or anything – ready to kill us for using magic to clean and laughing at Snape and-" Sirius immediately trailed off, as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned and came face-to-face, with...

"**SIRIUS BLACK**!"

"Oh shit."

* * *

A/N: By the way, the 'oh shit' cursing-baby story...totally based on real life. :-D! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, and please, PLEASE review!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	9. The Ones Who Hide

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! (P.S. Next few chapters are already written and undergoing editing! :D!) And special thanks to Cinderella912, merdarkandtwisty, SilverWolf77, and angelvan105 for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** Hiding**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Thou art my **hiding** place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah." - Bible  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**October 31, 1981**

_Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

An ominous creak echoes across the grounds of Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow. Only a few days before, the squeals of a young child and the laughter of her proud parents would have filled the air. Now, however, the family home is abnormally silent on the night of All Hallows Eve. Slowly, a tall, deathly pale man makes his way up the path to the modest cottage. His head is covered by a dark hood, obscuring his features. Only the blood-red of his eyes, which gleam menacingly from within the folds of his robe, is visible. Almost absently, he reaches a single, deathly pale arm forward and caresses the door. After attaching a pair of stealth-sensoring spells to the door, he knocks:

*KNOCK KNOCK*

*KNOCK KNOCK*

After the fourth knock, and subsequent lack of response, the frightening spectre casually reaches up and pulls his hood down. He is hairless, and the skin of his face looks waxy, while his scalp appears to be somewhat leathery. He lifts a hand, and his unnaturally long, spindly fingers wrap around the door knob. With a sharp twist, he snaps the locked door knob and pushes the door open. A cruel grin lifts the corners of the man's mouth, as he mockingly inquires, "Hello? Mr. and Mrs. Potter? Can your daughter come out and play?"

He smirks as no reply is made by either of the adult Potters. "Cowardsssssss." He trails off with a hiss, lifting his wand and checks that the anti-disapparation jinx he placed earlier is still intact. Practically humming, he makes his way through the home, searching for the hidden Potter family. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, the creature grows irritated and summons his spy.

Twenty minutes later, a masked and hooded figure apparates outside the range of the anti-disapparation jinx, then quickly runs up to his master and kneels. "My Lord, I..."

Before he can explain, his master cuts him off and angrily hisses, "You fool. You assssured me that the Potterssss would be here. Were you lying to your masssster? Perhapssss you are sssstill loyal to the Muggle-loving filth!"

"No, my Lord, never. I only just found out that they had left the home early."

"CRUCIO!" The monster's eyes gleamed as his servant writhed in agony, his screams echoing through the home. An eternity later, Voldemort stopped the curse, silkily ordering, "Explain."

"M-My Lord. The-The," As an enraged noise erupted from the Dark Lord, his servant hastily swallowed and continued, "Dumbledore he must have a spy. He knew you were planning to attack tonight, before they could utilize the Fidelius charm. The Potters are already at Hogwarts, my Lord. Dumbledore told the Order at tonight's meeting. He didn't let any of us leave until just now. I came to you as quickly as I could."

Enraged, Voldemort turns away from the man sprawled on the ground and snarls, "CONFRINGO!" at a family portrait hanging above the mantle. The glass frame shatters into millions of pieces and Voldemort's fists clench as he struggles to control himself. Carefully, he steps forward and kneels, picking up the photograph and shaking the broken glass off. Jerkily, he tears the picture, letting the images of the adult Potters fall to the ground. Voldemort stares at the image of ten-month old Rose Potter for a moment, then folds up the picture and places it in one of the pockets of his robes. Swiftly, he leaves the home, his tortured spy laying atop the rug, still twitching from the Cruciatus. Once outside, Voldemort spins and lifts his wand, casting "Morsmordre" loudly. As the immense, green, glowing skull and snake appears in the night sky, the Dark Lord silently casts various charms and curses, the former to warn him of the Potter's arrival and the latter to, hopefully, kill them. A prompt Incendio and the home rapidly goes up in flames. A second 'confringo' and the house begins to fall to pieces. His task completed, Voldemort drops his anti-disapparation jinx. With a sharp crack, the monster disappears. A few moments later, the spy staggers to his feet and stumbles out of the ruined home. Struggling for air, he surveys the half-burnt home. The man finally manages to pull himself together and, with a precarious crack, he is gone as well. Within moments, the grounds of Potter Cottage are silent once more, save for the crackle of the slowly-dying embers. The horrific Dark Mark floats above while gray rings of smoke lazily drift away from the blackened rubble. The once-vibrant Potter home is in shambles and thoroughly unrecognizable.

* * *

**July 24, 1982**

_Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts_

An out-of-breath Remus Lupin pounded up the stairs, slamming the door to the Headmaster's office open as he ran in. "What happened? I got a patronus message from Lily, she said it was an emergency!" He glanced around the office, where he could see Dumbledore standing in front of his claw-footed desk, a hand tightly gripping James' shoulder. Lily and Peter stood to either side of James, all three clearly tense and worried. Sirius, wild-eyed and clearly distressed, was pacing in the corner of the room. Rose, the only calm person in the room, lay fast asleep on a couch, obviously hastily transfigured as it still had '_Legislative_ _Guide to the Proper Use of Magic_' printed across the side.

"Sirius felt the wards at his place weakening, so we came here. Peter just came back from doing reconnaissance around his place and Sirius'. Both apartments were ransacked." Lily quietly explained. "This basically confirms what we thought - there's a spy in the Order."

"Well, why not use the Fidelius charm? I thought you were planning to go under that? You never did explain what happened."

James sighed, and stepped in to explain, "Well, I don't know if you remember but the original plan last year was for Lily, Rose, and I to go under the charm on the 24th of October. Before that could happen one of Dumbledore's contacts got in touch with us on the 20th and told us Voldemort already had our location. Apparently he was planning on attacking before we could go under the charm."

Dumbledore began to speak, continuing the explanation, "Due to the nature of the charm, it was impossible for us to move the location or alter the timing, especially at such short notice. James, Lily, and I felt it would be best if they kept moving locations, while we tried to discover the identity of the leak."  
"Is that why you didn't tell me anything? You thought I was the spy?"  
Peter stepped in to reassure Remus before any more misunderstandings occurred, "No Moony, that wasn't why. We all trust you, but you've just been too busy trying to turn the other werewolves to our side. Hell, we've barely even seen you over the past nine months. We didn't see any reason to burden you with more problems, especially when you were already so stressed. Honestly, there wasn't anything you or anyone else could have done to help. Plus, of course, if we had told you and you were captured while in wolf form, Voldemort would just pull the information from your mind. We all know the nature of the curse makes it impossible for you to use Occlumency. It was just safer, particularly with everything as uncertain as it was. Lily actually was advocating for us to tell you, but she was outvoted."

Still upset, but understanding the reasoning behind the decision, Remus simply nodded, turning to Dumbledore, "So, then why are you telling me now?"

"Lily and James have been alternating between Peter's apartment and Sirius' apartment this past month, as I'm sure you are aware. We had hoped to rebuild the cottage at Godric's Hollow and place it under the fidelius. Unfortunately, during Voldemort's attack on the cottage this past Halloween, he placed a number of curses on the property. Presently, it would simply be too great a risk for us to reclaim it. Instead, we have come up with another solution, and this is where we will need your assistance."

"Of course, how can I help?" Before anyone could respond to Remus' question, Rose woke up and began to cry. Sirius finally stopped his pacing and picked her up, rocking her in his arms.

Seeing that Sirius had Rose under control, James began to speak, "Lily and I, separately, aren't any higher up on the Death Eater's kill list then any other Order member. But, Rose, well, Voldemort really wants to kill her, so she's basically number one."

"The prophecy."

"Yeah, because of the prophecy. Um, so Lily, Albus, and I have been talking about it and we think Lily and I will need to split up. If we go into hiding separately, whichever one of us doesn't have Rose can sort of muddy the trail. Albus thinks we should each have someone with us, as a sort of guard, to watch our back."

"Oh. And you want me to...?"

Sirius broke in to explain the rest, still rocking Rose back and forth, "We want you to go with Lily. The two of you will keep moving across Europe, Africa, Asia, wherever. You two won't tell anyone but Peter and Albus where you are. James, Rose, and I, we'll pick some location and stay there, but we also won't tell anyone but Peter and Albus our location. Pete's going to basically be our go-between. With his animagus being so inconspicuous, he'll be able to move around pretty easily and not draw a lot of attention. Plus, he's always been the sneakiest of us all." Sirius paused here to flash Peter a weak grin. "Rose comes with me and James because we figure Voldemort will probably think we kept mother and daughter together. Since the two of you will keep moving around, the way Lily and James are right now, we think that'll also help convince them she's with you two."

Remus turned to James, an eyebrow raised, "As far as plans go, it makes sense, who came up with it? Are you going to be okay with this? Not having Lily to help out with Rose, I mean."

"Yeah, I can handle it, and even if I have problems Sirius is around to help. It was really Lily's idea in the first place. Logically, it's a good plan, if it goes off how we expect and Voldemort reacts how we expect, it should be all fine."

Sirius broke in with a snort, "Famous last words, Prongs."

* * *

**July 31, 1982**

_Undisclosed Location_

After a week of frantically packing and making sure all important things were with the correct group, James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, and Rose were finally ready to go into hiding. Tearfully, they all exchanged their last set of hugs, kisses, and manly handshakes/back-slaps. It was entirely possible they would not see each other again for many years, if the war lasted that long and their plan worked.

Peter, who would be staying in Order headquarters for the rest of the week, to help spread misinformation, stepped forward with five engraved, platinum rings.

"Hey Pete, those for us?"  
"Yeah, Pads. I'm already wearing mine but these are for you and the others. They've got emergency signals built in, for the worst case scenario. Basically, if your location is compromised, just say 'it's worst case' and it'll cause all the other rings to glow. Remus, Lily, and I will be able to follow the signal and come to your and James' side to help. The rings will also send off a signal alerting Albus, so that he can gather the Order and bring them to help us out."

"No emergency portkeys?"  
"Oh right, you missed the last few meetings. Well, after Dumbledore confirmed the leak, the entire Order's been real careful and avoided sharing their hideout locations with anyone except for Dumbledore. Somehow, even with all the precautions, Voldemort was still finding us."

"Yeah, I heard about the Fenwicks."

"Mmm, yeah it's pretty bad. Poor Benjy, they still haven't found all the pieces." Peter shook his head, sad and tired, continuing with, "Turns out though, according to Flamel and Mad-Eye, he's managed to trace the magical signature off of the emergency portkeys. So, no, you don't get an emergency portkey. It would destroy the whole point of hiding, if he's able to just trace one and find you within a few days."

"Alright. Hey, Pete can I get a minute?" Carefully, Sirius pulled Peter off to the side, and out of Remus and Lily's hearing range, "I forgot to tell Albus. The Black Villa has some really intense wards. They let off a lot of magical energy though, so if I activate them right now..."

"They would be like a beacon to Voldemort."

"Exactly. I'm going to keep the low-key ones up right now, but if Voldemort finds us, I'm planning to activate the whole set."

"Alright, I'll let him know to watch out for them, if we have to show up."

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A/N: As always, Please REVIEW! :-D!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	10. The Attack

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's already put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to angelvan105 and SilverWolf77 for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Attack**  
Rating:** PG13 - for some gore and innuendo  
**Summary:** "There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit." - Napolean Bonaparte  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

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**October 31, 1982**

_Black Summer Villa, Lake Como, Italy_

They spent so much time preparing in case of an attack. Somehow, all of their plans fall short. When the attack happens it is nothing like what they expected. The wards don't stay up as long as they were supposed to and they can't activate the floo to get Rose out of the Villa. The foolproof, two-way mirrors aren't working so there will be no splitting up and trapping the Death Eaters between two attacking teams. The attempt to create portkeys fails miserably and the Death Eaters' signature anti-disapparition wards have been up for hours, without any of them noticing. The alert rings are the only working piece of the plan – Remus, Lily, and Peter have all shown up to help out. The fact that the three showed up is proof the rings work, and therefore, proof that the Order has been alerted via Dumbledore. There is no proof, no guarantee, however, that the Order will show up in time. The Death Eaters were clever and thus managed to stay under the radar for almost a full week – slowly sapping the wards of their strength. In the end, the residents of the Black Summer Villa only have each other to rely on. Each other and their absolute loyalty to their legacy - a tiny, innocent two-year old. No matter what it takes they will not let her fall.

"Shit, the wards are fully down."

"James, language! And what do you mean the wards are down? They were supposed to stay up for at least another hour!"

"Lils, they're down." James' voice is grave as he turns to look at his daughter. "Princess, you know I love you, right?"

"I know! I love you too, Daddy!" She responds in her cheerfully childish voice, innocently oblivious, while the others all turn to face the doors, wands ready, as they begin to hear the chanting of the slowly approaching death eaters. The main door blasts inwards, but James is already at work, wand moving in a blur. He promptly and efficiently transfigures the splintered door into burning hot silver and then banishes the entire mess backwards into the approaching death eaters. Meanwhile, Remus, having forced a partial transformation, lopes towards the back door. Within minutes, he is busy grappling with the vicious Fenrir Greyback, who has entered from the back of the house hoping to add Rose, and maybe even Lily, to his "collection". Straining with effort, Lily begins to chant, gathering raw magic in case she must perform her well-researched, final spell – a last ditch attempt to protect her daughter. Despite James' efforts more and more death eaters are breaking into the house. Peter and Sirius both join in casting spells at the intruders.

"Expelliarmus! Stupefy! Stupefy!" Peter quickly grabs the wand that comes flying towards him then turns and incapacitates both Lestrange brothers. Lucky for Peter and the rest, the Lestrange brothers are already practically unconscious from the pain caused by their severe metal-burns to put up much of a fight. After all, Peter is quite clever and knows more dirty tricks then most anyone else, but at full strength the Lestrange brothers would've destroyed him.

"Avada Kedavra!" James deflects Amycus Carrow's curse with a piece of the door and fires his own back. "You're a pathetic excuse for a pureblood, Potter! Don't worry, once you're dead, I'll teach your daughter all about being a proper witch!"

"REDUCTO!" Amycus is so busy taunting James, he doesn't manage to dodge James's enraged response. The curse hits him point blank in the face. Alecto screams in rage and sorrow as Amycus's head is brutally blasted apart, bits of his brain splattering all over his sister.

"Defodio! Confringo! Crucio!" James struggles to dodge all of Alecto' curses and is clipped by the third one. James falls to the floor, seizing violently, and tries not to cry out. Sirius seeing his friend in danger quickly sends a confundus at Alecto, disrupting her curse when she shifts to bat away Sirius' spell. James rises slowly but a rapid-healing charm allows him to regain his strength. Conjuring up a pair of lions he uses an oppugno to buy himself some extra recovery time. Alecto rips the pair apart with a vicious obliteration charm, but the momentary pause in their duel is just enough time for James. He continues his battle with Alecto and finally brings her down with a diffindo to her wand arm, banishing the psychotic witch - minus an arm - through a glass window.

"Tarantallegra! Petrificus Totalus!" Remus, in the interim, finally succeeds in bringing Greyback down and, with a combined stupefy and incarcerous, stuns and binds the rogue werewolf to prevent his escape.

"Imperio!" A high, cruel voice casts the spell directly at Sirius. Unable to dodge, Sirius feels himself floating away to a peaceful place where he has no worry about anyone or anything. *Kill the girl.* As the thought drifts across his mind Sirius turns to do so. The moment he sets eyes on the frightened toddler his mind rapidly clears and he shakes off the remnants of the curse. Turning he looks directly at Lord Voldemort and immediately begins to fire curses at the monster.

"Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Furnunculus! Incarcerous! Reducto! REDUCTO!" Curse after curse erupts from Sirius' wand as he attempts to give the others enough time to escape with Rose.

"Avada Kedavra! Crucio! CRUCIO! Avada Kedavra!" The Dark Lord's curses are repetitive but effective. Sirius has to dodge all of the unforgivables or waste time conjuring objects to block them. Sirius' curses on the other hand are often blocked or deflected by a wordless shield charm. As Sirius ducks, attempting to dodge another killing curse, he is blasted backwards by a wandless, silent reducto. The splintering of his ribs is loud in the room, which has gone suddenly quiet. He turns to see that Voldemort has put up an immense shield, a shield that has trapped him and Rose in with Voldemort.

"Well, well, the infamous Marauders, you have certainly put up quite a fight! But it won't matter; you will all still die today. Although, I must admit Mr. Potter, your daughter is quite beautiful. Perhaps, I will let her live after all. When she gets a bit older, I might even let her service me as my personal servant." The perverted smile that suddenly appears on the monster's face as his eyes rake over the child terrifies her family. James jumps forward attempting to breach the shield but his attempts are in vain, Voldemort is too powerful and his shield is unbreakable. Enraged, Sirius suddenly fires a quick reducto straight at Voldemort who deflects the curse back towards Rose.

"Rose!" With a rapid, panicked lunge Sirius pulls her out of the way. But the second reducto deflects into his chest rupturing a lung this time. Sirius can feel he is weakening and unless he gets immediate healing, he won't survive the night. He is too tired to dodge or deflect Voldemort's follow-up expelliarmus curse. Normally, the powerful Black heir is quite capable of wandless magic, but with his severely injured state Sirius realizes he will only be able to gather enough energy for one curse. The others are all exhausted and can do little anyway as the shield Voldemort has put up prevents them from coming to Rose and Sirius' rescue. Voldemort reaches out and catches the wand that comes flying.

"Do you love her, Black? The daughter of a mudblood and a blood-traitor? My, my, how far the Black family has fallen. Such a shame. I suppose it falls to me to restore the Black family honor. AVADA KEDAVRA!" Sirius twists pulling her out of the way, gathers his strength, and then fires his own wandless Killing Curse back. After all, dark magic runs in the Black veins and Sirius channels every bit of that darkness to power his curse. Caught unaware, Voldemort doesn't even have time to cry out as the Unforgivable hits him in the chest. The shield flickers then fades completely and the Marauders and Lily come rushing towards Sirius and Rose. Remus immediately binds Voldemort's body and takes away his wand. Suffering from severe magical exhaustion, Sirius passed out immediately after casting the spell and his breathing is rapidly becoming more labored.

"Is, is he...g-gone?" Lily's soft voice seems extremely loud in the silence. Peter turns to look at her, opens his mouth, but then closes it again, unable to figure out what to say.

"I-We have to check. But I can't, uh, what's the spell, I don't remember..." Remus trails off as he stares at the body, stunned speechless. James is the first to regain his senses and swiftly takes charge. He quickly begins to direct the others.

"Peter, Lily, make sure Rose is okay and stabilize Sirius as much as you can. Remus make sure all the death eater's are either dead or incapacitated. I'll see if he-if Voldemort's alive. Oh, Remus after you secure the DEs send your Patronus to get Dumbledore and the Order." After verifying Rose is unhurt and simply shaken, Peter and Lily quickly turn to Sirius and begin to chant healing spells. "Shit, he's not gone! Lil-get Mari-" Voldemort suddenly begins to glow a murky purple-green. James is blasted backwards as something shoots out of Voldemort's body and heads directly at the unconscious Sirius.

"Mine!" An odd ring of gold appears in her eyes, as two-year-old Rose immediately climbs atop her favorite Marauder. Lily and Peter move to pull her back, just as Remus begins to move back towards them. James rises from his position on the floor just in time to see Rose begin to glow a brilliant silvery white. Voldemort's shade lunges towards Rose who is clutching tightly onto Sirius' hand. The moment the shade touches Rose she lets out a heart-wrenching, agonizing scream. Sirius' eyes snap open and his body arches up, mouth opening in a word-less yell, pain evident on his face. The bright glow extends to him as well. Suddenly, the shade lets out a pain-filled yell as right then a large explosion seems to take place. The smoke clears and the others swiftly move to Sirius and Rose. Both are crumpled on the ground, unconscious, and the shade is nowhere to be seen. Slowly, Rose stirs and then winces when she lifts her right hand.

"Baby, oh my baby! Are you hurt! Rose?" Lily immediately crushes Rose to her and begins to throw diagnostic spells at her daughter and then Sirius.

"Are-are they okay?" James is shaky and Peter helps him to the ground next to his family.

"I think-" Lily breaks off as Fawkes, the phoenix, suddenly appears and begins to cry onto Sirius' chest. "The Order's here! Oh thank Merlin." The three conscious men immediately gather around Sirius, Lily, and Rose, happy that someone else will be able to take charge.

"Siri okay, Mama? Birdy sad?" Before Lily can reply another voice does.

"With proper rest and relaxation, I have no doubt that Sirius will recover. The bird is a Phoenix and also my familiar, my dear girl. He possesses healing tears and is crying in order to heal young Sirius's worst injuries. Poppy, I believe these six may need some of your expert healing once in Hogwarts. Alastor, Minerva if you two as well as the Prewett twins would be so kind as to gather and identify the death eaters, living and dead? Nicholas perhaps you could help me examine Voldemort's body? Now as for the rest of you, I believe we should all move to Hogwarts so we may determine just what has happened this night." The entire time Albus was giving out orders his voice remained calm and soothing in deference to the battered and shell-shocked six survivors. He gently asked them all to grip Fawkes tail-feathers, as the bird would flash them to the Hogwarts hospital wing.

Relieved to no longer have to think, they did exactly that. Poppy appeared in the hospital wing a split second later, ushered them all into bed and quickly began to examine each one. Poppy moved efficiently from bed to bed. Within moments of examination, skele-gro was poured out, anti-bruise creams were rubbed on, and various cuts and injuries were bandaged. Upon determining they needed sleep more than anything else she gave each of the six some dreamless sleep potion. Each one was suffering magical exhaustion and restful sleep would be the best cure.

Lily was the first to wake. She had been the least injured of the six, having received only minor cuts and bruises. Although she was sore she quickly rolled out of bed and began to check on the others.

"Lily! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Poppy came bustling out and shooed Lily back under the covers.

"Please, Poppy, I need to know Rem-James is okay and that my daughter's unhurt!" Tears forming in her eyes, Lily pleaded with Poppy for information.

"Don't worry, Lily. Both your husband and daughter will recover. James needed some anti-cruciatus potions and I had to set his broken arm the muggle way. The anti-cruciatus potions react badly with skele-gro, as you probably remember from Potions class. Other than that he has minor cuts and bruises, which are healing, and he exhausted himself with the amount of magic he used. Both of you simply need food and time to rest. Rose is essentially unhurt minus a scar on her right palm..."

"What about Remus? Is he okay? Can I see him?"

Raising an eyebrow at Lily's pushiness and apparent lack of concern about her husband, the Medi-Witch replied, "Remus was bruised and banged up, it appears he took quite a beating but thanks to his increased strength and healing he will recover completely, most likely faster than the rest of you. You'll be able to visit him later. You need to rest first. As for the rest of your friends, Peter had a fractured leg, - already healed with skele-gro-, bruises, cuts, and magical exhaustion. Now, if it weren't for Fawkes, Sirius would probably have been in critical condition right now. Luckily, Fawkes healed the worst damage and Sirius's lungs and ribs will all heal perfectly. As for Rose, both her and Sirius are suffering from complete magical exhaustion. Until their magic begins to replenish, neither one must perform ANY magic! They both have identical lightning bolt scars, Rose's is on her right hand's palm and Sirius' is on his left, both of which I attempted to heal. Unfortunately, both scars resisted my efforts and though I managed to reduce the size of the scars, I have not been able to completely remove them. I believe the Headmaster will be coming by to explain his theories as to why this is and to also discuss the attack. I suggest you go back to sleep, I promise to wake you in two hours when he arrives." Overwhelmed by the information dump, yet relieved her family was fine, Lily drifted back into a sound, dreamless sleep.

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A/N: As always, PLEASE review! It makes me a bit sad, knowing that each chapter is getting hundreds of hits and visitors, but only 2-3 reviews per chapter. So please let me know what you like and what you don't like - otherwise how will I ever improve?

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	11. The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Nashi, and SilverWolf77 for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Morning After**  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the **morning after** the committee of sleep has worked on it." - John Steinback  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

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**November 1, 1982**

"James, how are you feeling?"

"'Lo Albus. I feel like I just got attacked by Voldemort and a bunch of his death eaters. You?"

"I am quite well. Apparently some of my favorite former students were attacked last night. Luckily, they all managed to survive the attack. In fact, they actually managed to defeat Voldemort." says Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling like usual.

"Imagine that. Wait. We did WHAT!"

"Alastor and Nicholas, along with a few of our associates in the Department of Mysteries have gone through the accounts and the evidence from last night. It's clear that Voldemort has been temporarily vanquished."  
"Temporarily?"

A deep sigh, then, "Voldemort has taken steps to ensure his continued existence, for the moment he has been separated from his body, to take the form of a wraith. Unfortunately, barely alive is still alive."

"Oh."  
"Nicholas and his wife have agreed to research for a way to break past the rituals and enchantments Voldemort has done, so that he may be vanquished for certain. In addition, Alastor is setting out with a team to try and capture Voldemort's wraith."

"Capture a wraith? Is that even possible?"  
"It has been done in the past. Although it is quite difficult, Alastor will make every effort, I am certain. At the very least, we will be aware of Voldemort's movements."  
"And we'll be able to keep his followers from helping him."  
"Indeed. Of course, we will need to fight the political battle at home now. With Voldemort gone, the power vacuum created requires a strong leader to step up and take control. Otherwise we risk losing even more ground in our struggle to bring equality to the magical world."

"Right. Well, I know Scrimgeour's got political aspirations so does Diggory, but they're both pretty...well, you know. And, Fudge is an incompetent. Crouch is … well, if what I heard about his son is true, then he's got quite a lot on his plate already."

"Yes. Actually, Minerva and I were discussing the situation, and she made an excellent suggestion." A pause as James looks curiously at Dumbledore. "You would make an excellent public voice for our side."  
"ME? Are you crazy? I don't have any experience or anything. I'm an auror not a politician!"

"You are a member of the Wizengamot, are you not? You are also young, handsome, and you have a powerful Muggleborn wife. You are the Potter scion and have allied yourself with the heir of a prominent Dark Family in Sirius, a non-human in Remus, and a member of a minor, neutral pureblood family in Peter. There is also the close alliance between the Potter's and the Longbottoms, a prominent Light family. You are in the unique position of being able to bridge the gaps between all of the sections of our society, simply by the virtue of the people in your inner circle."

"That all may be true, Albus, but I still don't think-"

"And of course, there is the matter of Rose."  
"What? What does my daughter have to do with any of this?"  
"The papers have already started calling her the Girl-Who-Lived. The ministry has officially stated that Sirius managed to hit Voldemort with the Killing Curse. However, due to Voldemort's 'powers' he was able to survive, albeit severely weakened. They have also reported that in response to the attack, Vodlemort fired an unknown wandless, wordless curse at Rose, which she and Sirius together then repelled back onto Voldemort, defeating him."

"She's only two! The Ministry's just made her the Death Eater's number one target, and you want me to make it worse? The Ministry should have given Sirius sole credit for the defeat, at least he can defend himself."

"Be that as it may, the fact remains that your daughter is going to be viewed as a symbol of hope and you in turn, as her father, will have access to unprecedented support from the people of our world."  
"Well. Why can't Sirius do it? He's her Godfather, and he's got all the same allies as me. And he was the one that hit Voldemort with the Killing curse!"

"James. You know as well as I do that the public will not accept the heir of such a prominent Dark family as their leader."

James lets out a soft sigh, leaning back and scrubbing his face with his hands. "I know. Honestly, Albus, I'm too young. I wouldn't be able to get anything accomplished, even if I did get elected because no one would take me seriously."  
"I am aware of that James. However, you need to take this opportunity to establish a presence. Gain the favor of the well-connected and politically-powerful elite of our world. You are more than capable of rising through the ranks of the Aurors quickly. I'm sure you are aware that a large majority of our Ministers are also former Aurors. This is the time for you to gain the support and the trust of both the average magical beings and the Ministry workers."

"Yeah. I know. Alright Albus, I'll consider it. Give me some time to process everything. Let me spend some time with my family and then we'll discuss our next moves. Is that good enough for you?"  
"Very well, James. But keep in mind you cannot wait to long, we must move faster then the other side if we hope to accomplish our goals."

Groaning, James runs his hands through his hair, clearly agitated. As Dumbledore gets up and leaves, patting James on the back, Peter quietly steps through the doorway. Sitting down beside James, Peter says, "Hey Prongs. You okay?"

"No. Have you heard what the Ministry's reporting?"

Peter holds up a copy of the Daily Prophet, "Yeah. It's already in all of the major papers. I don't know how they moved so quick. Edgar Bones dropped by, he's volunteered to help stand guard outside the hospital wing. Lily and Remus are both up and about – which is good since we still don't know who the Order spy is."

"Hrm..."

Peter cleared his throat nervously, then leaned forward and asked, "Hey James. I, uh, I heard what Professor Dumbledore was saying to you. Do you think-Are you going to do it?"

"I don't know. I just-" James' jaw clenched and he slumped in his chair, "Can I tell you something Wormtail. But you can't tell anyone else. Not even Padfoot."

Startled, Peter looked directly at James, then with a deep breath replied, "Yes. I can keep a secret, Prongs, you know that. Tell me what's wrong."

"Lily's having an affair with Remus."  
"WHAT! What? Are-are you sure? I mean, maybe-"

"I walked in on them talking about it last night."

"I don't know what to say. How could she...how could Moony...?"

"Don't call him that." James scoffed, before continuing, "When my parents were drawing up the wedding contract, they insisted Lily wouldn't have access to any of the Potter family funds. She only agreed to it because my mother said that in exchange they would drop the fidelity clause. I thought, I thought it was because Lily was in her usual equality mindset, and she didn't think it would be fair if she had to be bound by a fidelity clause but I didn't. I never thought that she was actually planning not to stay faithful to our vows."

"Do they know, you know? Does anyone else know?"

"Lily and Remus know, I confronted them after I, I flooed my parents. I wanted Mum and Dad to make sure she couldn't inherit or access any of the Potter Legacy. And if she has any other children...they won't be able to either."

"Any other-wait, James." Peter's eyes went wide in fear, "Is-is Rose...?"

"She's mine, thank Merlin. Mum said she used a heritage potion to verify everything when Rose was born. I don't know what I would've done if Rose had been..." Jaw clenching in rage, James trailed off.  
"Do you know how long...?"

"Apparently they've been together for years, behind everyone's backs. When they first got together, Lily wanted to tell people but Remus made her keep it quiet. I guess he realized that as long as people didn't know he was a werewolf it would be fine, but the moment the truth came out..." James sighed, then continued, clearly not having moved past the betrayal, "As for her, once she realized that being publicly attached to a werewolf would destroy her career even more then being muggleborn...well, she saw the wisdom in keeping it quiet. It was Remus' idea actually, for Lily to marry into a prominent pureblood family. Turns out, Lily actually was working on 'convincing' Snape, but then her and Remus found out he's a halfblood and therefore not much higher status-wise then her, and they gave up on him."  
"Merlin, I actually pity Snape – a little."  
"Yeah. I know. Imagine how I felt. I have something in common with the greasy git." Both men shuddered in horror. "Anyway, after that fell through, Lily decided to come after me since I was already interested. With Moony to help her out...guess I never really had a chance." Scoffing in disgust, he continued, "You know when I confronted her she actually said that she 'tried' to fall in love with me but couldn't manage it."

"Merlin's saggy tit, James. Why are you still married to her? You should be drawing up papers right now. She betrayed the family, you could easily take care of her, without any legal action against you. Same with Remus, even if he wasn't a werewolf, the Lupins are a minor branch of the Potter family, he owes you allegiance."

"I know. That's what I told my parents, but they pointed out that Rose is fragile right now – with the attack and all. So I decided to wait a few weeks, but that was before Dumbledore came and talked to me. And now,..."

"Of course, I didn't even think of that. Now, your hands are tied because if you want to be Minister you can't be a divorcee."

"Yes." Anger sparked in James' hazel eyes, "Apparently, they haven't even been trying to hide it lately. I'm surprised you and Padfoot haven't noticed it, you both have always been more observant than me. Poppy even picked up on it, she asked me if everything was okay between us – said she knows some good marriage counselors if we need them."  
"Wait. They're still...together?"

"Of course."

"But..."

"I told Lily that if she didn't want me to throw her out onto the street, she'd give me an Oath not to have children with anyone but me, as long as we are officially still married."  
"Did she?"  
"Of course. She couldn't go back to being a normal muggleborn in our world after living the lavish lifestyle of a pureblood's spouse. I swear I would throw her out into the street and kill Remus if it weren't for Rose. As far as I'm concerned, giving me my daughter is the only good Lily's ever done. Actually, my parents are having custody papers drawn up, we're going to have her relinquish all of her parental rights. With the pureblood laws being what they are, they favor me over her but laws can change and I don't want to risk it."

"Good point. I have to admit though, if she hadn't been a muggleborn, she would definitely have been a Slytherin."  
"No kidding. Honestly, if she'd done it to anyone else, it wouldn't have bothered me too much. She's just looking out for herself. I can't blame her for that. As a muggleborn, with ambitions, she doesn't have a lot of options if she wants to be successful. Her betrayal infuriates me, but I do understand it. Remus, on the other hand, I can barely stand to be in the same room and not want to tear him to shreds. After everything I did for him, everything my parents did, that he used our friendship to betray me, is just, unforgivable. I mean, the Lupins would never even have been able to afford Hogwarts without the money my parents gave them. And his furry, little problem? I accepted him and risked my life to become an animagus to help him! I didn't do it for payment or favors or anything...but I sure as hell never expected him to...turn around and do something like this."

"I really don't know what to say. Are you sure you don't want Padfoot to know?"

"Yeah. You know, Padfoot, he'd pull off a completely insane stunt and end up getting himself locked up in Azkaban or something."  
With a wry laugh, Peter responded, "Probably. And then Rose would kill you...she's pretty possessive of her Sirius." Smiling weakly, James nodded his agreement.

* * *

A/N: Hi all, hope you enjoyed. As for why is Lupin all evil? Well, he's not evil exactly...but he wants Lily and Lily wants him. And James is their means to an end. So, I guess they're a little evil. :). But then somebody has to be the bad guy!

For everyone who is also reading my (very-slowly-updated) Live to Be A Hundred series, I have a poll up in my profile about potential pairings.

Also, since I know sometimes people can't figure out what to say in a review...has anyone managed to find any typos/grammar/spelling issues? Since I don't have a beta and all...

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	12. The Mandatory Therapy

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Nashi, Rhianona, athenakitty, and SilverWolf77 for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Journal**  
Rating:** PG-13 for Lily's sex-starved naughtiness  
**Summary:** "I think this journal will be disadvantageous for me, for I spend my time now like a spider spinning my own entrails." - Mary Bokin Chesnut  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

** **Note:** This chapter is kind of...experimental. :-) So let me know what you think. I don't think I quite captured Lily's voice. She's probably the hardest character for me to write. But since it's experimental, I went ahead and posted a short interlude to make up for the oddness of this chapter. **

* * *

**April 1, 1983**

_Doris Crockford's Office, St. Mungo's Pyschotherapy Suite_

"Lily my dear, please, come in!"

"Counselor Crockford, it's so nice to see you again." Sarcasm practically dripped from Lily's voice as she greeted St. Mungo's Senior-most Trauma Counselor.

"Now, Lily, we're all friends here. How many times must I remind you to call me Doris? Counselor Crockford is so, formal." The graying, middle-aged woman wrinkled her pert nose and affected a slight shudder as she denounced Lily's formal behavior.

Lily gave a weak smile in reply, dryly answering, "At least once more ma'am. At least once more."

"Oh Lily. You are simply precious." Sighing, she continued, "Returning to the topic at hand, I was looking through my notes from our last meeting – you remember we had to cut it short because of the unfortunate...circumstances?"

"Mmm. By unfortunate circumstances you mean when my mother-in-law "playfully" transfigured me into a scarlet letter 'A'? Then, refused to change me back for an entire hour? I certainly do remember how my skin remained scarlet for the remainder of the month."

"Ahem. Yes. As I was saying, with regards to our minutes from the last meeting, it appears that roughly six months have passed since the day of the attack. I thought we would start by discussing the progress you have made since the first time we met."

"Wonderful. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my Friday evening."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Doris beamed, "Excellent. Well, let's get started then, now Lily why don't you read out the first entry from your mandatory journal."

"Great." Lily took a deep breath and began to read out loud, "_1st Journal Entry - November 17, 1982_

_Dear Journal,_

_Hello Journal. Yes, I know you can't answer me. But what can I do? I've been stuck with the MIL from hell (MIL, dear journal, is short for Mother-in-Law) and I cannot disobey her commands. Hence, the journal. You see journal, I have been ordered by MIL to attend mandatory counseling. And in mandatory counseling, my mandatory counselor has ordered me to write in a mandatory journal. Personally, I think a grown, married woman writing in a journal seems like a terrific idea!_

_Can you hear/feel the sarcasm, dear journal? Now, why does MIL hate me and make me suffer through this? Well, MIL doesn't approve of Remus. I suppose I can understand why MIL hates me. I mean, I AM cheating on her son with Remus. Her son, James Charlus Potter...is my pureblood husband (yecch!). Remus Lupin is my werewolf lover. Heh, sounds quite sordid, doesn't it? That would be because it is. Actually, it's a bit more than sordid. Should I explain from the beginning? Yes? Here we go, dear journal..._

_Once Upon A Time, there was a pretty, vivacious redhead, Lily Evans (also known as me) and Lily found out she was a witch! How did Lily find this out? Well, long story short there was this ugly, greasy boy in her neighborhood – Severus Snape, who taught her about being a witch. So, Lily and Sev became friends...but Sev was creepily possessive. (He was even jealous of my relationship with my sister! Like I said, creeepy!) Still, Lily put up with it, she knew she needed him until she could establish some roots of her own in the magical world._

_Turns out he wanted to be more than 'just friends', hint hint? Which was great for Lily, because it made Sev that much easier to manipulate. But let us skip ahead: Lily went to school (Hogwarts). Lily met Remus. Lily met James. James (the idiot!) was 'in love' with Lily. Lily was really not interested (am still not interested!). No, dear journal, Lily fell in love with Remus! And Remus fell in love with Lily! Yay, Happy Ending, right? No. Sorry._

_See there's a twist in the story. Remus was a werewolf. Yes, feel free to cry for poor Lily. Lily also had many hopes, dreams, and goals for her future as a witch. Insert additional twist. Lily is a Muggleborn – meaning Lily's parents didn't have magic. Which, shouldn't be a problem, except, prejudice rears its ugly head. Turns out, Muggleborns without pureblood or fullblood 'sponsors' don't get good jobs or successful careers or financial backing or ANYTHING really. Also, werewolves? Even worse off than Muggleborns, if you can believe! Persecuted because they have an incurable, infectious disease. The not-so-magical Wizarding World is thoroughly backwards._

_So dear Remus, who is totally selfless, and sweet, smart Lily, who is not at all selfless, put their heads together. Lily wants her cake...and she wants to eat it too! Thus, the solution? Plan A: Lily marries a pureblood/fullblood, gets him to sponsor her, offs him, and lives happily ever after with Remus. Except the whole murder of husband thing is a bit distasteful – and holds huge potential for very serious consequences if they get caught._

_So, Remus and Lily come up with plan B, which involves much less risk: Lily seduces/marries poor pitiful Severus. Sev is in awe of Lily and hopefully if all goes to plan he agrees to sign unbreakable oaths allowing Lily to be unfaithful without consequences to her! Except poor Lily and Remus just can't get a break. Sev is a halfblood – his father is a muggle. Ergo, no sponsoring possible. So Plan B is out. The only bright side? Lily can finally chuck Sev!_

_Plan C: James is a pureblood. A pureblood who is completely in love with Lily. Hello future husband/sponsor/cuckold! Happily, the plan works out perfectly...until guess who steps in? Why MIL, of course. Evil, can't-mind-her-own-business MIL. MIL and FIL (father-in-law) jump in and whoops, no infidelity allowed. Luckily, Lily is stubborn and, more importantly, Lily can withhold sex from James (oh, and sex with James = an unforeseen benefit since James is a very creative and skilled lover). Moving on, poor James convinces mum and dad to leave off on the fidelity clause! Lovely! Plan C is going exceptionally!_

_Once more, we skip ahead...Lily and James get married. James trusts Lily and his friend/brother (haha) Remus, without any limits. Remus and Lily are often left together while James and Sirius are out fighting for the Order. Stupid James has no clue. Lily gets pregnant – unplanned but it's not Lily's fault she can't always remember her birth control spells. Honestly, hello! juggling a husband and a lover is hard enough on its own then you add in birth control spells multiple times a day! Pity, the magical world doesn't have some sort of daily or weekly birth control potion. Turns out, James is the father. Truthfully, a good thing because a werewolf baby would be hard to pass off as James'. No matter how naïve he is._

_Anyway, Lily has said baby (whom she honestly loves to her everlasting surprise). Voldemort (asshole!) goes after said baby because of a prophecy. Much angst ensues. Baby Rose (thankfully!) survives thanks to (toe-rag) James' (annoying) friend, Sirius. And then Plan C goes to pot._

_This is where you come in dear journal. See, during recovery from the attack by (asshole!) Voldemort, James the toe-rag found out about Plan C. Stupid James got pissed and told MIL and FIL. Consequences then ensued. Now Lily has to sleep in servant quarters at Potter home. No more elaborate, ostentatious master bedroom, master bathroom, and most importantly... NO MORE WALK-IN MASTER CLOSET! No more access to large amounts of money. No more sponsor to help Lily do whatever she wants. Also, no more sex with stupid, flexible James... :-(_

_Just when poor Lily thought it couldn't get worse? Stupid James grows a pair and demands Lily give up her parental rights and sign papers stating she will not have another child as long as she is married to James. In other words, the public must not find out about the affair. Is that the final consequence, dear journal? Of course not. Evil MIL decides that Lily needs counseling to 'recover' from the attack. Hah. MIL just wants to take up large amounts of Lily's time so that she can't sneak out to see Remus!_

_Remus, of course, takes the opportunity to suggest divorce. Turns out he wasn't a big fan of James and Lily having sex. Hah, silly possessive werewolf. Not that It matters what he wants, because, well, the Potter Family's servant quarters? Palatial compared to Remus Lupin's nicest room in his little shack (read: house). So, yes Lily may be slightly shallow. But can you honestly blame her? Well, me?_

_Truly, I do love Remus. And yes he loves me. And yes James definitely hates me now, for good reason. Not that I really care about his feelings...except that I do miss the sex. I may have mentioned this before, but James is surprisingly talented in bed. And he likes to experiment. Not that Remus isn't good in bed...it's just that Remus is very loving and gentle and sweet. Always. I mean, not that that's a bad thing...but really! There's only so much missionary a girl can take! I know practice make perfect, but can we please try to perfect some other position? Sigh, dear journal. I keep getting off topic._

_Right, where was I? Ah yes, counseling. The reason why am I writing all my thoughts down in a journal! Because of MIL! Evil, bitchy MIL. MIL who will read this and use it to make me suffer more. See, in counseling the counselors have forced me to write in this stupid journal, as I mentioned before. Three times a week, I write down my thoughts and feelings in this journal and then, MIL every Sunday will take my journal and read it. Every Monday, out of the kindness of her heart (yeah right) – she helps me work through my feelings. According to the counselor's it will bring me closer to my family._

_Stupid MIL. Stupid Counselors. Stupid James. Stupid Journal. Why does MIL get to read my journal, you ask? Well, MIL is apparently a renowned healer – she actually found out how to treat Dragonpox successfully in elderly witches and wizards. Being renowned allows MIL lots of lee-way. Lee-way that includes access to my theoretically should-be-private journal._

_Alright dear journal. It's late and this entry is long enough I hope. Goodbye till the next entry._"

"Well, Lily. You certainly have come far. Let's discuss some of your progress, shall we?"

"Sure why not."

"Now, you seemed quite hostile towards your mother-in-law, is this still the case?"

"Me, hostile towards Lydia? Why, of course, not. She's like my very own mother. I just love her to bits."

"Lovely. And your relationship with your husband? Has that shown any improvement?"

"Well, James is understandably quite furious with me, still. He won't allow me into his bed, he insists I will never share his bed again. On the bright side, though, he does let me see Rose now, which is a definite improvement."

"Yes, you are quite fortunate to be married to such a wonderful man."

"Right. Fortunate."

"And I do hope you've...hrm, realized the value of your marital vows?"

"Realized the value of...oh, am I still having an affair with Remus? That would be a yes." Lily paused, when Doris leveled a disapproving frown at her. "What? James refuses to fulfill his husbandly duties, so Remus does. Mmm. He's still not willing to experiment though. I even offered to dress up in a naughty Little Red Riding Hood outfit, but he said that it's not proper. Stupid werewolf. He didn't even want to try doggy-style!"

"Ah. Well, I think for next week we will have you work on realizing the importance of maintaining your vows."

* * *

A/N: Reviewers have been asking some really good questions, so I wanted to clarify a few things:

1. The person betraying the Order (aka the **unmarked**, traitorous spy)...hasn't been discovered since the Potters never went under the Fidelius.  
2. Peter may or may not be said unmarked, traitorous spy...  
3. Yes, Remus is having an affair with his best friend's wife...but that doesn't mean he is the spy (doesn't mean he's not the spy, either)  
4. Lily may be an adulterer...but that doesn't mean she **is** or **isn't** working for Voldemort  
5. Sirius & Rose's matching scars are common knowledge – similar to how in the books everyone could recognize Harry based on his scar  
6. James's parents are Michael & Lydia Potter. Michael is the eldest of his generation, however, his younger brother, Charlus is Lord Potter. This is because Michael was originally bethrothed to Dorea but fell in love with Lydia and they eloped. Charlus stepped up and married Dorea, fulfilling the marriage contract between the Blacks & Potters. Michael gratefully stepped aside and let Charlus take up the Lordship. Both brothers are still close and both are happily married – things truly worked out for the best as Charlus and Dorea quickly realized they were well-matched. Unfortunately, due to a magical accident, Dorea is unable to bear children – thus Rose is Charlus' heir.

A/N #2: As always, **review please**. Especially this chapter, since I was experimenting with Lily's voice and the style of writing a bit...

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	13. The Interlude: Air

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

_**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Nashi, Rhianona, athenakitty, and SilverWolf77 for the nice reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing! :)**_

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The First Interlude: Air**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle." - Amy Bloom  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**July 31, 1983**

_Quidditch Pitch, Black Villa, Lake Como, Italy_

Lying flat on their brooms, Sirius and Rose float side by side, letting the wind control their movement. The sticking charm ensures that neither will fall off, despite the rather precarious position both are in.

"Sirius?"

He raises an eyebrow and turns to face her, "Yes darling? Can I help you with something? And since when did you start calling me by my first name?"

Beaming, she ignores his questions and says, "I haveta ask you somethin'."

"Go ahead princess. It is your birthday after all."

"Will you marry me?"

Smiling, he turns to lie flat once again. As the breeze ruffles his hair, he gently responds, "I'm a bit old for you Rose. Shouldn't you be marrying someone closer to your own age?"

Matter-of-fact, Rose replies, "But Daddy said people are supposed to marry people they love the most. And I love you the most. So I haveta marry you."

"Ahh. Well, I love you most too. But there are different types of love, and-"

She cuts him off, stubborn as always, "How old do I haveta be to marry you?"

He takes in a whiff of fresh air while his lips twist up into a fond smile, "Uh, seventeen? Well. Eighteen would probably make your Daddy less likely to torture and castrate me. Point is, you're just turning three today, I think you have quite a lot of time until you need to find yourself a husband. Alright?"

Rose wrinkles her nose as a leaf tickles her face, stirred up by a slow gust of air. Then, once again ignoring his question, she asks her own, "Sirius. When I turn seventeen will you marry me?"

Laughing, "Sure Princess. I'll marry you when you turn seventeen." Shaking his head, amused, Sirius turns away, completely missing the flash of light that immediately follows his words. Rose, not so oblivious, smiles in satisfaction, happily noting the flash. Sirius' eyes are soft and wistful as he once again quietly floats in the air, side-by-side with his favorite person in the world, fully unaware of the importance of their conversation.

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A/N: Just a short interlude to make up for the experimental nature of the previous chapter. Hope you enjoyed both that chapter and this interlude – and as always, please review and let me know your thoughts!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	14. The Potters and the Blacks

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

_**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Nashi, Rhianona, athenakitty, and SilverWolf77 for the very helpful reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)**_

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Betrothal Contract **  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,  
A church filled with family and friends.  
I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for,  
He said one that would make me his wife."  
-Author Unknown  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**August 1, 1983**

_Number 12, Grimmauld Place, London, England_

- Early Morning -

Lady Walburga Black, wife of Orion Black, mother of Sirius and Regulus Black, watched as her husband, the current Lord Black, sat unmoving on their bed. "Orion, what is it? What's happened?" Panic and fear evident in her every step, she softly whispered, "Is, Is it Sirius? Is he-" She let out a choked off sob, continuing fearfully, "Is our son gone?"

For a moment, Orion didn't say a word, then considering, he looked up at his wife. "Does it matter if he was? Would you care?"

Gasping in shock and outrage, she snapped, "Are you ill? Of course I would care! He is my son! I love him!"

Orion's sneer was evident in his voice, if not his face, "Love? Your needling and abusive comments are the reason our son ran away and went to live with the Potters."

"I was only trying to protect him. The further from us he was, the safer he was. The Dark Lord could not command his allegiance if Sirius was not here." She scoffed angrily in the middle of her rant, continuing, "As if you even care, why are you speaking up now? Why not when he was sorted into Gryffindor – and he first became a target? You never spoke out against me – never tried to protect him!"

Lips curled in a slight smile, Orion reached up and ran a gentle hand down his wife's cheek, "Oh, I protected him. Why do you suppose he still retains contact with me?" At his wife's surprised silence, Orion smiled, "Were you not aware? All of those business trips I would take? I have kept in touch with Sirius, remained involved in his life. Why do I think I never removed him as heir? I ask about your feelings only for my own benefit, I wished to know if you were still the woman I married."

Utterly at a loss, Walburga asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Orion let out a deep, barking laugh, "I was never certain if you were trying to protect Sirius or if you truly believed in the shit you were preaching. I suspected that you were trying to help him in your own way. That is why I never overtly stepped in and stopped you."

Scoffing, Walburga replied, "I may not wholly approve of muggleborns, squib-born and halfbloods, but I am also not a complete idiot. The purebloods and fullbloods alone cannot support our society. The most recent, so-called Dark Lord is a short-sighted fool – just like every other before him. Only when a true Black leads the magical world will we see intelligence and progress in our world. Sirius could be that Black. He has all the essential traits and the ability to use those traits appropriately. As for that false Lord, does he honestly expect to find purebloods who are willing to do the menial tasks currently done by the lower classes – day laborers, farmers, merchants, and the like?"

"The false lord **was** a short-sighted fool. Now that he's gone, perhaps we may be able to draw our family together again."

"If Sirius is to one day be The Black, he must accept that family always comes first. We may be able to teach him, now that we can show him our true opinions. Of course, this all is dependent on Sirius's willingness to understand and accept our motivation."

"Well, he is a Gryffindor. Aren't they supposed to be foolishly noble?" This was said with a smirk as Orion carefully pulled out an official looking packet. "Speaking of foolish Gryffindors, you will be quite amused by the packet Gringotts just sent." In response to Walburga's questioning glance, Orion handed over the bundle.

Walburga slowly unraveled the first parchment, and began to read. Abruptly, she stopped in her reading to stare at her husband, "What in the hell? Is this a joke? This says-"

Highly amused, Orion answered his wife's half-formed question with a wicked grin, "Our son has been quite busy apparently. According to the goblin's missive, last night he accepted a marriage contract and initiated a formal courtship with Rose Potter, the Potter heiress."

"A marriage contract and formal courtship? She's only three years old! And a half-blood – her mother is muggleborn, yes?"  
"Yes to the first and no to the second. Rose's mother, Lily Potter nee Evans, is squib descended from both sides of her family. Meaning that our future daughter-in-law is full-blood. Rose's heritage is verified by the Goblin scholars on one of the parchments in the bundle."

"Ah. Well. He's planning to formally court a three-year-old? I always assumed the Black madness was restricted to Bellatrix in their generation. I suppose Sirius wasn't passed over after all – pity, he had such a promising future."

Barely managing to contain his snickers, Orion choked out, "He **accepted** the marriage contract. I never said that he initiated the process."

"Lord Charlus and Lady Dorea Potter, then?"  
"No, I imagine Charlus and Dorea are equally as surprised by the packet they surely received this morning."

"You cannot mean James and Lily Potter? Surprising, I would think after his own love-marriage James would not expect an arranged marriage for his daughter. As for Michael and Lydia, although they are Rose's grandparents they do not have the authority to negotiate a contract or courtship for their family heiress."

"Not any of them. And, of course, you and I certainly did not suggest this."

"Well, the only person left who is able to declare intentions would be Rose, and- You must be joking." Gaping rather unattractively, Sirius' mother watched as his father proceeded to fall into paroxysms of hysterical laughter. "Our son? Our Sirius accepted the marriage proposal of a three-year-old! And you're laughing!"

"We should – haha – probably go see Charlus and Dorea, I'm sure they're – heh – in shock."

"No shit."

"Wally! Such language!"

"Are you drunk? May I reiterate, our SON and heir is engaged to a three-year-old child. Apparently of his own free will? The boy has lost his mind!"

"Relax, Wally. It's not as though he has to marry her immediately, there is still a great deal of time for both of them to evaluate the contract and choose if they wish to abide by it. After all, initiation and acceptance of a marriage contract is only the first step! They still need to go through the formal courtship. Only after the proper steps have been completed, of course, can they even think of physical consummation to make the contract binding. As well, the legalities must be observed, I imagine the bumbling fools at the ministry will expect all of the signed paperwork to be in order by the time Rose reaches the age-of-consent." Shaking his head, Orion continued, "No my dear wife, this marriage is by no means certain. I must admit, I for one am quite looking forward to seeing how this all plays out."

"And why is that, my dear, psychotic husband?"  
"Well, darling Wally, normally, in witch-wizard couplings, the wizard proposes and the witch is then courted. However, our son has been proposed to. Therefore, the burden of courtship falls upon the three-year-old. I imagine the next eighteen years will be very amusing. Plus, there is of course Rose's eagerness to marry our son. Based upon the wording of the contract, I believe she tried to have him commit to marriage by the time she's of age. Unfortunately for her, and perhaps fortunately for our son, the type of betrothal contract she initiated cannot be manipulated in such a manner. As it stands, Sirius is merely obligated to enter into a formal courtship with her by the time she turns seventeen." Snickering, Orion rolled his eyes at Walburga's tense features, "Oh wipe that look off of your face. Remember the rules of formal courtship, Wally! As long as the couple does not physically consummate before the younger partner's twenty-first birthday, the betrothal contract will simply wither into dust and no marriage will take place."

"True. Well, at least she has a decent bloodline. The Potters have never had a squib in their line and they trend towards the upper end of the magical power spectrum. I suppose, as it stands there are more benefits to their betrothal than potential consequences."

"Yes there are, and he could have done quite worse when it came to his potential, future wife."

"I still think he's an idiot." Looking over at her still amused husband, Walburga teased, "He must get it from you."

"You think so? I wonder where he gets his prankster side from, then? Can you possibly think of some witch who delighted in tormenting her Professors with juvenile pranks?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."  
"Really? I remember some of those pranks quite well, such as the one where she transfigured Dumbledore's beard into a nest of snakes. I also remember being inspired by her bravery leading me to ask her to be my date – even though I was only a fourth year and she was in seventh."

"You know what I remember? I remember she hexed your hair Gryffindor red, laughed, and walked out of the common room."

"Ah, yes." Orion had a uncharacteristic, dreamy smile on his face while he reminisced about their Hogwarts careers. "Those were good times."

"You are a strange character, honestly I don't know why I married you."

"No one else would take you, Wally!" Laughing, both husband and wife made their way to the fireplace. Lighthearted banter aside, Walburga and Orion were both aware Charlus and Dorea might not take the contract as well as they had.

* * *

**August 1, 1983**

_Potter Manor, Devon, England_

- Late Afternoon -

"Orion, Walburga, please come in and sit down. I can imagine what's brought you here."  
"Now, Dorea, aren't you going to ask us to how we are?"  
"Please Walburga, this isn't the time for jokes."  
"Who's joking?"

When Dorea sucked in a harsh breath in an attempt to maintain control of her ragged emotions, Charlus quickly stepped in, "Well, the two of you certainly don't seem as upset as I imagined you would be."

"Upset? Now, Charlus, why in the world would my wife and I be upset?" Mockingly widening his eyes, Orion attempted to look sweet and innocent.

Struggling not to snap, Dorea carefully bit out, "Oh, I couldn't say, Orion. Perhaps because we've just been informed that our heir accidentally initiated a marriage contract, and your heir foolishly accepted."

Before either Black could reply, Charlus spoke up, "Ahem. With regards to the betrothal. Would I be correct in assuming you've informed Gringotts of your disapproval of the contract – and thus had the curse-breakers undo it? I imagine you are here to ensure we do not lodge any complaints, yes?"  
"Now Charlus, you know what they say happens when you assume!"

Dorea let out a highly unladylike noise, asking in shock, "Orion? Are you trying to suggest leaving the contract in place to come into effect?" When both Blacks just smirked in reply, Dorea shakily asked, "You-you didn't disapprove the contract? But, you...surely, you must remember the protocol? Rose initiated the contract and Sirius accepted, therefore Charlus and I cannot disapprove it, only you and Walburga have that power!"

Walburga, who had been mostly silent up until that point, answered for her husband, "Orion and I discussed it, of course. We both agreed that if Sirius entered into the contract of his own free will, which he must have for it to take, then it's not our place to second-guess him. Truly, I imagine the next few years will be fascinating – to say the least."

Before either Charlus or Dorea could speak up, Orion roughly pulled Charlus aside, and in a fierce whisper, explained his and Walburga's thoughts on the matter.

While the men discussed, Dorea turned to the woman who was technically her niece, "You've both lost your minds."

"Oh, don't be such a yawn, Dorea! "

As Dorea went to angrily respond, Orion and Charlus walked over. Orion, who was still talking, smirked as he spoke louder for Dorea's benefit, "Mmm, I must admit your dear grandniece is certainly a devious, little brat."

Laughing, Charlus nodded, Orion had explained the Black Family's official position on the matter and he saw the same potential for entertainment as Orion, "It will take a true miracle for her to avoid Slytherin."

"What? Charlus surely you aren't implying that the girl meant to do this. She's three, for goodness sake!"

"I'm not implying anything, dearest. There's just one little thing to take note of, however. You see, Dorea, our son asked me to start Rose's heir lessons last week." Waiting until nods from Dorea, Orion, and Walburga proved they were paying attention, Charlus continued, "The day before this little, ahem, **incident** between Rose and Sirius, was the day I gave Rose a lesson on betrothal contracts as well as the criteria and methodology for entering and exiting such contracts. She asked if it was possible to put in age requirements and limits, I told her it wasn't but I suppose she wanted to test it out for herself."

Walburga, trying to muffle laughter, turned away to hide her shaking shoulders while her husband cheerfully mocked, "Hah! Looks like Sirius has finally met his match."

"Orion, please! You and Charlus have both lost your minds. I highly doubt Sirius ever meant to accept something like this. Use those brains of yours for a moment, I know you both must possess at least some minuscule amount! I reiterate, Rose is only three. Yes, she may have latched onto Sirius for now. Yes, she might even have thought it was a good idea in her adoration, but eventually she's going to grow up and-"

"But nothing, my dear wife! Keep in mind, provided they don't consummate before she's twenty-one, the betrothal isn't binding. As it stands, you and I both think of Sirius as another son – so I don't even see the problem. He's a good man and would never even think of touching her until she was well past the age of consent. The age of consent, in case you've forgotten, is seventeen, Dorea, so at the very least we have another fourteen years before you even need to worry. And if Sirius and Rose do decide to consummate once she's legally old enough? ...Well, Sirius sure as hell better be planning on marrying her!"

Rolling her eyes, Dorea frowned, opening her mouth to protest but Walburga, finally having controlled her amusement, piped in, "We must also consider the benefits to both of them being in an active betrothal contract." Seeing she had gained the other adults' attention, Walburga proceeded speaking, "It seems Rose truly does understand how to initiate a contract and she has shown her willingness to act unilaterally in such matters, even at her young age. If we remove this contract now, she may initiate AND **consummate** another contract when she is older. There is no guarantee that you will approve of such an agreement – and you will have no recourse if she finalizes it on her own. In addition, there is of course the protection she now has as the contracted betrothed of the Black heir – for example, none of the many social climbing, deviants amongst the minor families will be able to take advantage of her. After all, I believe we're all familiar with the story of that poor Evelyn Weasley – impregnated while under the influence of a whole array of love potions by Abraxas Malfoy's great-grandfather. Now look at the Malfoys – from minor, destitute family to a prominent voice on the Hogwarts Board of Governors. And the Weasleys - they never did recover from the social or financial ruin. Pity, imagine how different things would have been if the Weasley Patriarch had stuck to the old ways and betrothed Evelyn before she began attending Hogwarts."

"That's all well and good, but what of Sirius?"

"This contract protects him as well. That Sirius managed to find himself engaged to a three-year-old simply proves he takes the old ways too lightly. However, now that he is already contracted, he cannot be fooled into accepting some gold-digger's marriage offer."

Nodding in agreement, Charlus stepped in to continue listing benefits, "Yes, and we must be honest with ourselves. We all care for Sirius, but he isn't exactly...known, for his stable relationships."

"Don't sugarcoat Charlus, my son is, what do the kids call it these days? Ah, yes, a man-whore."

Snickering, the Potter patriarch continued, "Yes, exactly Orion. The contract certainly won't prevent him from enjoying his personal life. However, it will block the creation of any – oh, how should I put it? – mmm, unwanted heirs."

Dorea finally seemed to be seeing the wisdom in letting the contract stand, but she had one last question, "And what if Sirius decides he does want children within the next eighteen years? What if he falls in love with one of his tarts – and decides he wants to marry her?"

"Well, if all four of us approve of the tart, we will certainly inform him of the contract and take the appropriate steps to have it terminated."

"I see. If we approve. And what happens if we don't all approve, Orion?"  
"Well. Sirius should have been more careful in what he said. It is without a doubt his own fault he cannot get married or have children until this contract is resolved. Personally, I doubt he will even notice the agreement's existence, as my son appears to be somewhat allergic to commitment." Nodding to himself, Orion continued, "No, I rather suppose he will proceed on exactly as he has been – from one bed to the next. In truth, I believe it will be Rose who will come to us to for release from the contract, rather than Sirius."

"I suppose you may be correct. Well then, who is telling whom? We will need to inform both James and Sirius, of the contract and our decision to leave it in place. I imagine neither one is going to take it well. James, especially."  
"Aw, Dorea. Why ruin the fun?"  
"What do you mean Walburga?"  
"I mean, Sirius did get himself into this..."

"What if they..."  
Charlus promptly broke in, "He's her godfather, what are the chances they EVER end up consummating?"

"Rather low I suppose, but still, there is always a chance."

"Chance, shmance, dearest! We'll tell them on her 18th birthday – July 31st, 1998. He won't even think of touching her before then anyways."

"If you say so, husband mine. When this all ends up back-firing on us, I will take great pleasure in saying, 'I told you so.'"

* * *

A/N: So, those of you who read the previous version...probably realize why this chapter and especially the dates/ages were important. :D! As always, please **review **– especially if you're still confused on how betrothal contracts work!

Note: In response to a review, I wanted to clarify: Charlus and Dorea are Lord and Lady Potter, the patriarch and matriarch of the Potters - so all contracts, etc. go to them first – even though Michael & Lydia are Rose's grandparents and James & Lily are her parents. For the Blacks, Orion and Walburga are Lord and Lady - and therefore they get the contracts. Now, even though Orion's father, Arcturus, is still alive, he isn't the Lord Black, because he passed on the title to his son (in order to enjoy his retirement!).

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	15. The Birthday Cake

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

_**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Rosalee, Rhianona, angelvan105, and athenakitty for the very helpful reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)**_

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Birthday Cake **  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a **chocolate** **cake**. I feel better already." - Dave Barry  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**July 31, 1984**

_Sirius Black's Apartment, Unplottable_

Stretching up on her tip-toes, the birthday girl clutched onto Sirius' leg and begged, "Pleeeease may I help, Siri?"

Laughing softly, the dark-haired animagus playfully scolded his goddaughter, "One, it's your birthday, so you should be lazing about while the rest of us set up for your party. Two, it's supposed to be Uncle Siri. And three, well, I forgot what three was, so hold on and let me wipe this batter off of my hand." Carefully spelling the cake batter off from his hands and arms, Sirius bent down and scooped the four-year old up. Rose squealed in glee as Sirius tossed her in the air for a moment before gently setting her down on the granite counter-top.

"What can I do! What can I do?"

"Calm down princess, I don't want you to hurt yourself, okay?"  
"Okay!"

"Now, kitchen safety is the first thing you need to learn. Rule One, if I don't say you can touch something, don't touch it. Rule Two, when I tell you to do something, you have to do it without arguing. Rule Three, you are not allowed to touch anything sharp or hot, that means absolutely no touching the knives. When the cake is finished baking, the pan is going to be very hot, and you have to be very careful so you don't touch it – either accidentally or on purpose. I might add more rules later, but let's see how you do with these first. Now wait here a minute while I get out the things for the frosting – and don't try to jump down off of the counter on your own. If you want to get down, ask me and I'll let you down off of the counter."

"Okay Siri! I'll be good, promise!" Plastering a look of perfect innocence with her hands neatly clasped in her lap and her ankles crossed, Rose followed Sirius' rules perfectly. For the first few seconds. While Sirius knelt in the pantry with his back to Rose, she carefully glanced over her shoulder to see if he was paying attention to her. Realizing that Sirius seemed to be engrossed in locating the superfine sugar, she slowly scooted along the counter, inching closer and closer to the large pan filled with cake batter. Peeking over at Sirius one last time, the mischievous four-year old stretched her hand toward the batter. Just as she was about to dip her finger in to get a little sample, Sirius calmly spoke up, "Don't even think about it, little girl." Immediately snatching her hand back, Rose half-turned and stared in shock as she realized Sirius had never even looked away from his work. "Wooow, how'd you know?"

"Magic. Now scoot on over to where I put you. That was your only warning, missy. Next time, I'm sending you over to Uncle Moony's, while I finish up your cake."

"No, don't send me away. I'll be really good, really really really good. Promise!"

"Mmm, we'll see. Alright, now first things first, we're going to wash your hands. That's rule number four, before you make anything in the kitchen, you have to always wash your hands." Sirius picked up Rose and carried her over to the sink, where he helped her carefully scrub her hands clean. After drying her off, he carried her back on over to the counter and sat her down. Pulling out his wand, Sirius conjured up a weigh scale, setting it next to Rose. "Alright, do you see how there are red and black lines all on the bottom of the scale? Well, if I put something into the bowl, what happens?" As he asked, Sirius placed a half cup of butter into the bowl.

"The big blue line moved to the side!"

"Yes exactly. You've started learning your numbers, right?" Once she nodded, he continued, "Okay, so do you see this red squiggle right here, what number is that?"

"Three!"  
"Good, and this red number next to it?"  
"Um, four."

"Exactly, now what you are going to be doing is using this scale to measure. The numbers tell you how much of something you have. Whatever number the blue line is on, that's how much we have. This scale measures in grams, and-."  
"What's grams?"  
"Uh, actually that's not really important right now. But the point is that the amount of butter in the bowl right now, is a certain amount of grams and if we look at the blue line, it tells us how much. Right now, we have a little more than one hundred grams in the bowl. Do you see how the blue line is a little bit ahead of the one? If we use this scale to measure out all the proper amounts of superfine sugar, butter, chocolate, milk, and vanilla extract and then mix it together, we'll end up with some very delicious frosting. You like frosting, right? And chocolate, too?"  
"Lots and lots and lots and lots!"

"Wonderful. So, this scale actually measures in hundreds of grams. That means if the blue line is on the three whatever is in the bowl is three hundred grams. Can you tell me how much would be in the bowl if the blue line was on the four?"

"Ummm, four grams? No, wait you said it's hundreds, so four hundred grams!"

"Very good, princess! For this frosting, what I want you to do is measure out three hundred fifty grams of superfine sugar. If I tell you that three hundred fifty is right in the middle of three hundred and four hundred, can you figure out where you want the blue line to go to?"

"Um, maybe in between the three and the four?"  
"Yes, exactly! Good job, you're picking this up really quick, Rose! Alright, now I'm going to put out the bowl of superfine sugar on this pan. I want you to use the spoon and very carefully put sugar into the measuring bowl. Watch the blue line and when it gets close to the middle of the three and the four, let me know, okay?"  
"Okay, but what if I spill some?"

"That's what the pan is there for sweetheart. If you spill, it'll spill into the pan and then later, we can put the sugar in the pan back into the sugar jar."

"Oh, okay." While Rose was distracted with measuring sugar, Sirius swiftly placed the cake into the muggle style oven. He efficiently got the rest of the ingredients for the frosting together while he waited for Rose to finish. "Siri? How come you're not using magic to make the cake?"

"Well, princess, when I was younger, before I moved in with your Dad, I used to spend a lot of my summer vacations in the muggle world. When I was thirteen, I met this really nice lady, Mrs. Prentice, who ran a muggle bakery in London, called Patisserie-Valerie. She would let me come in and help bake all sorts of cakes, muffins, biscuits, and other things. She taught me everything she knew about cooking and baking muggle style. Even though it's been a long time since I helped her out, I still like to bake the way she taught me, plus I think it just tastes better if you don't use magic."

"Oh. Mm, Siri, I think I'm done cause the blue line's in the middle."  
"Let me see, alright perfect. Now, you watch and I'm going to put all of this into the bowl together – and then you get to help me mix."

Once Sirius and Rose finished mixing the frosting together and Sirius transferred it to a container to chill, Rose leaned over with an adorable pout, asking, "Can I pleeeeeeease lick the spoon and the bowl?"  
Sirius grinned, "Right and then you'll be so sugar high I won't be able to keep up? I think not. You can lick either the spoon **or** the bowl – one for you and one for me!"

Rose pouted for a moment but quickly cheered up as Sirius let her taste the frosting. "Mmm, yummy chocolate's the best!" While Rose was speedily licking the mixing bowl clean, Sirius kept busy getting the cake out of the pan and setting it on the cooling rack. One quick cooling charm later and the cake was ready to frost. Sirius turned to let Rose know they could frost the cake and immediately burst out laughing as he saw the four-year-old. In the midst of licking the bowl clean she had ended up getting frosting all over her cheeks, mouth, and forehead. She even had a dollop of frosting on the tip of her nose. Not to mention the splotches of chocolate and sugar on her clothes and arms.

"I think you might need a bit of a clean up before the party, kiddo. There's more frosting on you then on the cake!"

"But I wanna help frost the cake!"

"Well, if you really want to. Although, you'll end up being late to your party and then the food and cake might get finished before you get all cleaned up. Oh, and some of the other kids might get impatient and open your presents – but if you really want to help that's just the risk you're going to have to take."

"No, it's okay Siri! I'll go clean up! Don't let the other kids eat my cake!"

"Don't worry, Rose. I'll make sure everything is perfect for your party."

* * *

A/N: Weird but true fact: my parents actually did use baking/cooking to teach me basic math the way Sirius does for Rose here. Also, the next few chapters are probably going to be little glimpses into Rose's life growing up, and there will be some time-skip happening. As always, please review and let me know what you thought! :)!

Edited for typos: 08/05/2011


	16. The First Kiss

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

_**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks for the very helpful reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)**_

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The First Kiss **  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Always kiss your children goodnight, even if they're already asleep." -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**November 12, 1984**

_Rebuilt Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

It was the poking that woke him up. Sirius slowly blinked his eyes, trying to get his bearings straight. Having crashed at his best friend's place, after a training exercise gone wrong, it took Sirius an uncharacteristically long time to push the grogginess away. Staring up at him, with her wide green eyes, was four and a half year old Rose Potter.

"Mm. Rose? Wha-?" He trailed off as she sniffled. Panicked, he sat up and asked, "Princess, what's wrong!"

"Mummy and Daddy are fighting and yelling and it scareded me." She sniffed again, then rubbed one eye with a pudgy fist and asked, "Can I stay with you?" Sirius looked unsure, but then Rose continued, "I always climb into bed with Mummy or Daddy when I'm scared…but they're fighting and I can't."

Sirius gave her a sad look and reassured, "Of course, you can stay with me darling. But you shouldn't be scared…your Daddy probably just pulled a prank and Mummy found out and got mad, okay? So, come on, cheer up now Ms. Sniffles."

The four-year-old girl frowned and sadly replied, "It wasn't a prank fight. Daddy was really mad at Mummy. And Uncle Moony didn't even say hi to me when he left."

Startled, Sirius owlishly blinked at the child, "Moony? Moony was here?"

"Yeah. But he left and-" Rose broke off with a wide yawn.

Pushing his suspicions away, Sirius smiled gently at her, "You need to go to sleep darling. If you keep yawning like that, a giant bug could fly into your mouth!"

"Eww Siri, that's yuckyyyy!" She whined as he laughed softly.

"Alright, alright, I won't talk about the yucky bugs anymore. Now sleep!" Sirius scooted over and gently tucked her in next to him.

Sleepily, Rose reached her arms out for a hug and asked, "You forgot my goodnight kiss. Daddy always gives me a goodnight kiss when he tucks me in."

Sirius laughed, but obediently leaned over and brushed his lips across her forehead, "Goodnight little princess, sweet dreams."

"G'night Siri."

* * *

A/N: Just a short little interlude – fyi, Sirius is as of this point still clueless that James & Lily are essentially separated. However, Rose just knows that her parents don't sleep in the same bed but at this point she's young enough to not really care since it doesn't affect how the two of them treat her; and as always, please review!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	17. The Innocent Child

**Disclaimer:** _The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

_**Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks for the very helpful reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)**_

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Surprise**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been **playful**, rebellious, and immature."- Tom Robbins  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**June 9, 1985**

_Potter Manor, Devon, England_

Sirius warily looked down at the adorable, grinning, almost five-year old girl, then asked, "What do you want and how much trouble am I going to end up in if I help you get it?"

Pouting, Rose sweetly replied, "Ummmm. You aren't gonna get into trouble, Siri. I just wanted to introduce you to Spot. Annnnd, I kinda needed your help feeding her."

Sighing, Sirius resignedly questioned, "Who or What is Spot?"

"Spot's my friend. She's really nice! Do you want to meet her?" Excitedly, Rose responded to her godfather's question.

"Sure. Why not? Lily's probably going to yell at me either way." Rose cheered despite the dry, unenthusiastic reply, grabbed Sirius' hand, and dragged him to the Quidditch Pitch behind Potter Manor.

Innocently beaming, she asked him, "Isn't Spot amazing?"

"Gah-duh…Wha-?" Stunned speechless, Sirius merely gazed up at the massive Hungarian Horntail - sitting in the middle of the Potter family's Quidditch Pitch - in complete disbelief. All he could think to say was, "James is going to be mad if he can't play Quidditch."

* * *

A/N: Another short bit, a longer chapter should be up later today. Please review!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	18. The Birds and the Bees

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Rosalee, Rhianona, athenakitty, and angelvan105 for the nice reviews! You all really encourage me to keep writing! :)

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Talk**  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "What a kid I got, I told him about the birds and the bee and he told me about the butcher and my wife." - Rodney Dangerfield  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**July 31, 1986**

_Potter Manor Quidditch Pitch, Devon, England_

Giggling, both father and daughter gently toppled to the ground after dismounting from their brooms.

Sighing, James stretched out and fisted his hands in the grass. He brought a hand to his chest and gently ran a hand through his daughter's silky, black hair. Six-year-old Rose was snuggled into his chest, breathing deeply. Eyes closed, bare toes digging into the earth, she curled her fingers in his shirt, and sleepily asked, "Daddy, where do babies come from?"

James continued running his hand through her hair, then processed the question and abruptly stopped, eyes snapping open to stare in horror at his little girl, half-asleep in his arms. "Uh. What?"

Yawning, she asked again, "Where do babies come from? I asked Mummy before but she told me to ask you."

In a high-pitched voice, James asked, "She did?" Wide-eyed, he cleared his throat, and then continued, "Um. Babies. Welll…it's a long story actually. Very complicated. You seem pretty tired sweetheart, how about I tell you later? Maybe, in oh, say twenty, thirty years?"

Rose frowned and turned over, eyes opening to sleepily glare at her father as she whined, "Nooo…pleaaaaaase Dadddddy!"

"Alright. Alright. Um. Babies. Well, when a man and a woman love each other very much, they…get married." He swallowed hard and looked into the curious green eyes of his only child. "Right. So, they get married. And then, uh, eventually they decide they want a baby. So, they…go outside, and dig a big hole in the ground. Then, they go to…the Apothecary in Diagon Alley and buy…baby seeds."

"Baby seeds?" Rose gave her father a suspicious look, a disbelieving expression plastered across her face.

James firmly nodded, "Yes, now don't interrupt. Where was I, oh yes, baby seeds. So, the husband and wife buy the baby seeds and then they go back to their house and plant the baby seeds in the big hole in the ground that they dug earlier. Then, they fill the hole back up and every day for a few months they have to water it and take care of it. Eventually, the baby grows big enough that it's not safe inside the ground anymore so the parents move the baby into the Mum where it grows until it's time for it to be born."

"They move the baby?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Um. Magic."

"Really?"

"Really really."

Rose gazed at her father, expecting him to start laughing, but when he didn't she merely shrugged and said, "Oh. I thought you just had to have sex."

"WHAT! How do you know what sex is?"

"Sirius told me."

* * *

A/N: Short bit again...but please review anyway!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	19. The Mistress

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to Cinderella912, Lady Rosalee, Rhianona, athenakitty, angelvan105, and SilverWolf77 for the very helpful reviews! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Mistress**  
Rating:** PG13  
**Summary:** "A mistress should be like a little country retreat near the town, not to dwell in constantly, but only for a night and away." - William Wycherley**  
Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**19 December, 1987**

_Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

Giggling to herself, a green-eyed, seven-year-old girl tip-toed closer to her father's bedroom. In her arms she lugged a small bucket she had painstakingly filled with ice water. Slowly pushing the door open, she peeked in. The girl, Rose Potter, also known as the girl-who-lived, Potter heiress, and all-around mischievous brat, set the bucket down on the ground and pushed it closer to the very comfortable, king-sized bed her father and his current mistress were sleeping on.

Rose's parents had long ago explained that though they loved her very much, they did not feel the same way about each other. Thus, her mother's relationship with Uncle Moony and her father's relationships with...well, too many women to name. James had been giving Sirius a run for his money in the past few years. Still, despite her parents lack of relationship with one another, they were careful to always show how much they adored her. As she was their only child, and likely to remain the only child either would ever have, she was understandably quite spoiled. As the most important person in both her parents' lives, she had a somewhat unhealthy control over the adults in her life, a concept both Remus Lupin and James' many women came to accept very quickly. Well, most of James' women. According to Rose, she had a mother and did not need or want a step-mother, thus most of the women James allowed into his bed understood and accepted they should not expect anything more. The latest woman-of-the-month had been surprisingly dominant and did not seem to realize her rather precarious position in James' life – something Rose did not appreciate in the slightest. As a matter of fact, out of James and Lily's hearing, the woman had been suggesting James would be divorcing Lily, shipping Rose off to a hostel, and re-marrying within the year.

Scoffing to herself, James' beloved daughter remembered the threats and veiled suggestions the woman had made the night before, when James had stepped out of the room with Sirius for a moment. The dark-haired animagus, who seemed to split his time equally between his apartment and James' home, had actually been the one to suggest Rose simply chase off the woman if she bothered Rose that much. Taking the advice to heart, Rose decided to make her aspirant step-mother's life miserable – and she had been quite successful. The poor woman was essentially paranoid due to the constant pranks and tricks being pulled on her and, despite the week-long attack, Rose had no intention of showing mercy. On this particular day, she was starting Operation-Get-Rid-Of-The-Evil-Stepwitch with a literally chilling, early morning wake-up call.

A demonic smirk on her tiny face, Rose carefully hoisted the bucket up and set it on the edge of the bed. Stretching up to make certain James was still asleep, she carefully reached out and tapped the woman in the side. Waiting until the woman groggily came to, Rose lifted her hand and sweetly waved hello.

"Wha-?" The woman's voice was hoarse with sleep and she quickly trailed off as her eyes landed on the bucket Rose was starting to tip over. Unfortunately for the woman, before she could move away Rose had spilled the entire bucket of ice water all over her. The large splash and his mistress's subsequent shriek had James jolting awake and rolling out of bed, his wand in his hand. James quickly put two-and-two together and realized what his daughter had done. To his doxy's horror and rage, however, rather than scolding Rose he placed his wand back down on the nightstand and laughed. Gently motioning her over, James congratulated his little girl, "Princess! Nice prank – a bit amateur, of course. Still, Sirius was right, you are definitely on your way to becoming a true Marauderette!"

"WHAT! What the hell James? How can you congratulate her? You should be punishing the stupid brat, look what she did to me! I knew it was her – someone's been pulling all sorts of these horrible tricks on me all week long!" Enraged and out-of-control, the woman lifted her hand to slap Rose. Practically growling, James lunged and caught her hand before she could hit his precious child.

"Get your things and get the fuck out of my house. No one, absolu-fucking-lutely no one is allowed to hurt my little girl, understand?"

"James? You can't do this! Just for this nasty hellion? Don't you see – we could be so wonderful together. I love you – all you have to do is divorce that Mudblood and send this little monster away. Then we can be together like we both want." James gaped at the delusional woman for a moment then burst into hysterical laughter.

"Together? Hah, listen Gwen-"

"Glenda."

"What?"

"Her name's Glenda, Daddy. Not Gwen."

"Oh. Well, Glenda, Gwen, whoever you are, you were here for one reason and one reason alone." Coughing as he realized he probably shouldn't explain the reason in front of his seven-year-old child, James turned to Rose, saying, "Princess, why don't you go see if Sirius is awake yet, I think he was planning to stay overnight." Disappointed that she couldn't see Glenda get yelled at, but knowing from James' tone he was telling her to check on Sirius rather than asking, Rose nodded and left the Master Suite. Waiting until she had left the room, James turned back to Glenda, "Like I was saying, you were only here to warm my bed up. I made it clear from the beginning I have no intention of starting another relationship with anyone. I'm committed to my family and there is no room in my life for you or anyone else. Even if I had any desire to trust a woman besides my mother or my daughter, well, your behavior towards my daughter destroyed any chance you had with me."

Two hours later, Rose watched in satisfaction from her perch on Sirius' lap as Glenda huffily lugged her suitcase out the door and down the cobblestone path. Protesting the injustice the entire way, Glenda never even noticed the color of her hair (green!), the state of her skin (orange with purple stripes!), or the flashing, glow-in-the-dark sign affixed to her arse ('I tried to seduce a married man, failed miserably, and all I got was this stupid sign'). Every three steps Glenda took, the sign on her arse changed to a list of abuse mocking her.

Peter, who had dropped by for brunch just in time to hear about the blow-up between Glenda and James, walked over and asked, "So, the orange skin was me, but the green hair, flashing sign, and the notice-me-not so she doesn't take the other spells off, were who?"

"Green hair!" Lily piped up, claiming credit with a half-raised arm.

"I threw in the purple stripes – thought it jazzed up her look a bit." Remus cackled, his eyes holding an amber glow.

"I did the 'and-all-I-got-was-this-sign' sign." James chimed in, sporting a decidedly evil smirk.

"I added the insults on the sign, it was a bit too muggle before." Sirius jeered, wrapping an arm around Rose and holding her to his side.

With a grave nod, Rose mockingly congratulated her troops, "Good job people. Well done, all around." She then proceeded to burst into the childish laughter befitting her age.

* * *

A/N: See, James isn't all that bad off... And Lily & Remus found a way to make it work too! As always, review please!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	20. The Tattoo

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

Thanks to everyone who's put this in your C2, Favs List, and Alerts! And special thanks to everyone who reviewed! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and I honestly do appreciate that you all keep reviewing pretty much every chapter! :)

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Tattoo**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past." - **Jack London**  
**Beta:** No Beta or Brit-picker, but if you want to volunteer for either, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**August 15, 1988**

_Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow_

"You are not getting a tattoo."

"Your mother's right, as long as you are under our roof, you will not get a tattoo."

"Besides sweetheart, girls don't even look good with tattoos." Lily and James alternated between demanding and cajoling, in a vain effort to convince their daughter that tattoos were a bad idea.

"They do too, Mum! Sirius, don't girls look good with tattoos?" James and Lily's glares made it quite obvious to Sirius what they thought the correct answer to Rose's question should be.

"Well, yes. Girls do look good with tattoos, especially when they first get them."

"PADFOOT!"

"SIRIUS!"

"Hey, I love you guys but I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to hide the truth of what happens." Eager but slightly confused, Rose asked,

"What happens?"

"Well, at first the tattoo looks really cool and sex-um," one glance at a fuming James Potter and he reconsidered his wording, "attractive. But then, eventually, the girl grows up."

"Well yeah, but what-"

"Shh, don't interrupt. So, the girl gets grown up, and eventually she gets old. Now when people get old, they get wrinkly. Wrinkly, old people also get saggy. So what was once this cool, se-attractive tattoo is now this sagging smear of green color. And green is one of the Slytherin house colors. So that is why you shouldn't get a tattoo."

"Okay. I won't get one then." The eight year old smiled sweetly, got off the couch, and went to go play outside. Smirking, Sirius turned back to his friends who were staring at him with jaws dropped.

"What? H-How?" Laughing, Sirius replied to Lily's incredulous stammering,

"You just have to speak to the audience, kids!" He ruffled James hair, patted Lily on the shoulder, and sauntered out onto the pitch to go flying with Rose. Lily slowly turned back to James and said,

"How about we not mention our parental fail to anyone else."

"Yeah."

* * *

A/N: So, I'm going on vacation for about a month – and I won't have any internet access, which means no more updates until September! Buuut, on the bright side, I will have my computer with me on vacation so by the time I get back, I should have a whole bunch of chapters to post. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and please, please REVIEW! :)!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	21. The Reader

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

A/N: Oh wow, I know it's been a while, real life issues have kept me away from writing for a long time! But rest assured I will not & have not abandoned any of my fics! Thanks to everyone who's put this and the other OW stories in your C2s, Favorites, and Alerts! And special thanks to all my reviewers for the lovely reviews (and your amazing patience)! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and not give up no matter how much RL gets in the way! :)

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Reader**  
Rating:** PG, some underage drinking – but under parental supervision so I don't know if it counts.  
**Summary:** "No power in the 'verse can stop me. " "Also, I can kill you with my brain." - River Tam, Firefly  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**July 30, 1989**

_Potter Summer Home, Bordeaux, France_

"May I have some? Pleaseeee!"

Amused, Peter glanced down at the almost-9 year old as she raised up on her tiptoes and tipped her head back, puppy-dog eyes and pout firmly in place. Before he could answer, Lily broke in, "No sweetheart, sorry. We allow you to have a single glass of wine with supper but you are still too young for anything stronger."

Laughing slightly as Rose huffed in dismay, Peter consoled her, "Look on the bright side kiddo, you probably wouldn't like the Vodka anyways. It's a bit strong – I'm guessing you'll prefer something smoother. When you're older remind to let you try some of the Havana Club's Maximo we've been saving for a special occasion."

"Please don't give her ideas Peter. I have enough trouble keeping her restricted to one glass of red or white with dinner!" As Peter started to jokingly reply, James, Sirius and Remus noisily apparated into the receiving room then loudly made their way through the adjoining hall and into the living room. "Oh, you boys are all here much earlier then I expected! I thought you wouldn't be joining us in Bordeaux until noon?"

Stretching to get the stiffness out of his muscles, Sirius calmly replied, "Eh, Moody, Caradoc, and the Prewett twins are handling the rest of the work. Apparently, they thought we were too antsy." Scoffing, he continued with a smirk, "Why would we be antsy? Nothing important is happening today or tomorrow, right darling?"

"Pbbbt." Rose blew a raspberry at her godfather before pouting, "First Mummy won't let me try any of Uncle Peter's vodka and now you're being all meaaaaan! It's my birthday tomorrow, remember! That means you haveta be extra nice!"

"Birthday? Are you sure? Hang on a minute, what's this wrapped box in my pocket?"

"Ooooh! What is it! Gimme! Pleaaaaaaaase!" The adults all laughed as Rose literally tackled Sirius to get the small wrapped box. Sirius raised himself up on his elbows to watch as Rose settled herself on his stomach – legs folded Indian style beneath her – and carefully unwrapped the small box. Gasping in awe, she pulled out a delicate platinum anklet with eight beautiful charms attached. As Rose ran a gentle finger over a stylized ebony Grim dangling from the anklet, Sirius sat up properly, adjusting his goddaughter so she was settled firmly in his lap.

Quietly, Sirius began to explain the present, "It's a Black family tradition to give a platinum anklet – loaded up with protection charms and things, of course – to each of the girls in the family on their ninth birthday. Each of the eight charms is supposed to represent one year of the receiver's life, and then on the ninth birthday the girl getting the anklet and whomever is giving it are supposed to go pick out a charm that represents the year of her life that just passed. Then, they place a new protective spell on the charm and add it to the rest. And then every year afterward, on the girl's birthday, a new charm and spell are added to the anklet. It's supposed to be a way to keep the family closely connected while also protecting the girls in the family and teaching them at the same time."

Rose stretched up and kissed Sirius on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "Thank you."

James bent down and gently turned the anklet, gazing at the various charms. "Aunt Dorea never takes hers off – and she still goes to pick out charms with Uncle Pollux every year on her birthday. It's a good thing the anklet's magical, otherwise I can't imagine how she'd fit all of the charms on it, plus it'd probably be very heavy."

"Is that your way of calling me old, my dear nephew?"

"Aunt Dor! When'd you get here! And uh no, you're not old, you're, uh, the very picture of youth. Really. Honestly. I swear!"

"Hmph." Dorea rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she continued, "Oh, I'm sure. Well, why don't all of you go help Charlus and Michael set up in the garden for tonight's dinner. Peter, Lydia could use some assistance in the kitchen. I need to speak with Sirius and Rose for a moment, then we'll join you as well." With murmurs of assent James, Remus, Peter, and Lily left, "Now, then, Sirius, that's an interesting present you've given to my grandniece. Any particular reason?"

"Aunt Dorea-"

"I was asking Sirius, dearest."

"Aunt Dorea, I, I just-" Sirius sighed and shook his head, before continuing sotte voce, "I miss them. It." Another sigh. "I miss being part of the Black family. I miss our traditions, our customs, our-" Sirius buried his head in his hands and broke off.

"You miss our family. Despite how they treated you, despite your...political and personal disagreements, you are still a Black. It is understandable that you would long for what you loved in your childhood."

"It wasn't all bad. I mean, until I started at Hogwarts I was actually quite close to my cousins, my brother, my aunts and uncles. I was my parents pride and joy once-upon-a-time. The heir to the Black family. The future Lord Black. I just, I wish I could have both, you know? I wish they could just accept my beliefs. Andromeda's neutral and she married a Muggleborn, but she's still invited to family functions. It's only my generation that fought with Voldemort. Father and Uncle Cygnus never joined him – they didn't even contribute financially or politically, I checked! So, why did all the elders just cast me out? Just because I fought against blood purity? I mean, since when did the Blacks become followers? The Blacks have always been a neutral family, even though there's always some who join the light or the dark. I mean, Uncle Alphard wasn't blasted off the tree for marrying Uncle Darren! Or disowned." His voice tapering off into silence, Sirius looked plaintively up at the woman who was technically his Great-Aunt. "I just, I just don't get it."

Dorea opened her mouth, unsure how to explain the family's motivations to her nephew but still willing to try. However, before she could get in a word edgewise, Rose tipped her head back against Sirius' chest, her normally brilliant emerald eyes surrounded by a ring of gold, and locked eyes with him, "They had to protect the heir. Had to send the heir far away. The seers all agreed – love or safety. Picked safety because they loved. Other paths were so murky – so much death, the family all torn to bits. Red's not your color, love. Picked green. Goes well with silver. Matched set forever and always." Blinking, Rose suddenly straightened up. "What-what was that? It's like I was inside your heads, and your families head's, and there were these paths that – I don't know. It was..."

Eyes wide, Sirius turned her head so that he could look her straight in the eyes, "I have no idea, and the gold's gone now too."

"Gold? As in, a ring of gold around the green of her eyes." Dorea's voice had an odd waver to it but after Sirius' curious nod, she closed her eyes, seemingly drawing strength from an unknown source. "Oh, I was afraid of this."

"Afraid of what?"

"You know what happened to me, Aunt Dorea?"

"It's, well, each of the ancient and noble families has a few gifts, as you both know. That is after all what makes one a the major rather than minor family. The Blacks, for example, we have an uncanny skill with the darker arts – necromancy, blood magic, soul magic, and the like."

"The Black Fire – before I was disowned I could use and control it."

"Ahem, yes, exactly. There are other families with other gifts, the Gaunts and parselmagic, the Dumbledores and alchemy, the Longbottoms and plant based magics, the Malfoys since being elevated to the status of a major family have gained the gift of voice magics, and so on. However, in addition to the Potters normal gifts, the ones you two already know about, the Potters have one gift that is unique – and only passed on to the daughters of the family. It seems to skip generations; none of your aunts or great-aunts have the ability. But the family has taken exhaustive notes and each Reader has kept complete journals. There are a few signs, which seem to signal that a Potter has manifested with the ability. To be more specific, the ability always seems to flare up around the ninth birthday, there is always a ring of gold around the iris when visions hit, and the first vision tends to be brought about by a strong emotion. The strength of the visions varies from weak, purely emotion-based to sharp and as distinct as a fresh memory. With training and a stronger ability the ring of gold widens, and from what I've read it seems that the strongest Readers' eyes go entirely gold."

"Readers, Reading? I've never heard of it Aunt Dorea. Sounds similar to seer abilities though."

"It's actually quite different – but yes, superficially it would appear as though they have seer abilites. However, we call them Readers, because that is what they do. They Read – well timelines, I suppose, although that is an extreme over-simplification. Still, the thoughts and potential actions of the people around them trigger visions into possible futures and possible actions. For example, just now Sirius you were speaking of your family and speculating on what their motivations were, meanwhile I was thinking of ways to explain those motivations to you. The emotions behind our thoughts were powerful and Rose's abilities allowed her to tap into those thoughts and emotions – she could see exactly why our families made the decisions they did. And she could also see what might have happened if they had made other decisions. Unlike a seer – her vision was very focused and sharp, but more importantly, she remembers it. And she can explain her words – no matter how cryptic initially. That is one very important distinction between a Reader and a Seer. Seers rarely remember their visions – and even if they do remember they cannot explain it. Seers are more focused on the future unlike Readers who prefer to Read the present, past, and in some cases the immediate future. With the more distant future, it is more of an emotional sixth sense that helps guide them – and the family - when making decisions. Anything more specific than that tends to be quite useless – since they are evaluating possible timelines – and any changes in the present will often drastically alter those futures. One of the journal sets that we have in the family vault was written by James' great-great-Aunt Emma – she was quite an accomplished Reader. She described how before every business meeting or contract discussion her Patriarch brought the family together to discuss things while she Read them and the situation. She was thus able to advise the Patriarch into making the decision that ended up being best for the family's future. The ability is extremely useful for the family, however, there ARE disadvantages as well."

"Like what Aunt Dor?"

"Well, your father is fairly skilled with wandless magic – through hard work of course, but his abilities suggest that you should with hard work you also would be able to pick up the skill. Unfortunately, it's fairly well established that the power required for consistent, stable Reading seems to somewhat damage or limit one's abilities with wandless magic. In fact, I think it's safe to say that if you choose to train and expand your Reading abilities you are also choosing to give up all but the most rudimentary wandless magic. Still, there are a fair number of pros and cons for each side - I would recommend you both take some time and glance through the journals – prior to making any permanent, irreversible decisions. And of course, keep in mind that none of the abilities that are available to you as part of your birthright will be of any use without training. The harder you work, the stronger your gift – laze around and you will be rewarded with – at best – an inconsistent, weak ability. There is no shortcut or substitute for effort and perseverance!"

"Uhh, right, I can understand Rose looking it over – but why should I? It seems this is strictly a Potter family thing..."

"You ARE family, Siri."

"Rose is correct, but more importantly if she decides to train her abilities she will need someone to act as an Anchor. From what I understand, a Reader without an Anchor is at the same disadvantage as an unbonded Empath. Unable to control her abilities, overwhelmed by the thoughts of all those around her until she's unable to differentiate between which thoughts are hers and which are those of the people around her. Readers without Anchors are without fail driven insane as they lose control of their abilities. The fact that Sirius triggered your first vision suggests that if he is willing – and if you choose to train your ability – he will make for a highly compatible Anchor."

"You keep saying if I choose to train...what would happen if I didn't?"

"Well, initially your ability will swing between extremes – uncontrolled the visions will sometimes be barely noticeable wisps of memory while at other times you'll be able to predict the exact words of a conversation days before it happens. However, if you simply seclude yourself for roughly a year or so – again the exact time period of seclusion will depend largely on the natural strength of your abilities – and do not use or exercise your abilities they will fade until they become little more than a slightly enhanced sixth sense. However, whether or not you train your abilities you will need an Anchor. Whatever you choose to do, Rose, this is somewhat of a unique situation among unique situations – you are after all the first female heir to the Potter family. This, of course, means that in situations such as contracts between families or other business decisions relating to the family it will be one day be you as Matriarch who will make the final decision. It is, as I'm sure Charlus and James have explained, an immense responsibility."

"And being able to Read intentions and outcomes can only be helpful – which is what you're trying to subtly tell me. Right?"

"I would never choose for you or push you to make choice over the other – there are a great number of disadvantages to being a Reader as well. In addition, this path requires an extensive commitment from both you and your Anchor – it would be extremely hard work. I merely want you to consider all angles before you make a final decision."

When Dorea stopped speaking to sip from a hastily summoned glass of water, Sirius spoke up, "Well, I personally think that us going through those journals sounds like a good idea – but before we go join the others outside, I've a quick question. What exactly does being an Anchor entail? Is it permanent or can it be done on a temporary basis? To be honest, I kind of want a general idea of how much time I have to decide – if I am compatible or such."

"Ah yes, well Sirius...that's a complex set of questions. Since Readers have such difficulty focusing their power and struggle to keep it under control they are completely reliant on an Anchor to essentially bind them to their own reality. Or in other words, hold them in place and act as a sort of compass to guide them back to themselves. The Reader, from what I have read and understood, is telepathically linked to the Anchor and able to easily 'reach out' and sense their linked partner – perceiving their thoughts, emotions, and even actions. The Anchor's mind thus becomes something of a safe place where the Reader can basically slip in and hide when overwhelmed. The Anchor in turn is able to draw energy and even magic from the Reader to help strengthen his or her mind and mental shields. Although at first it might sound almost like a-a parasitic relationship, it truly is symbiotic in essence. Both the Reader and the Anchor benefit from the bond – and from what the Potters have observed over time, the stronger the emotional connection the more beneficial the link. Additionally, unlike parasitic mind-links – such as those that occur during possession – the Reader-Anchor bond does not manufacture or manipulate emotions and feelings. It is possible for a temporary Anchor to help ground the Reader, especially when the abilities are first manifesting. However, the temporary link only functions for a few months at most – after that Rose would need a permanent, proper Anchor. And once an Anchor has been chosen and linked – the decision cannot be changed. Severing a finalized bond would be fatal for the Anchor and would drive the Reader into insanity."

"Huh, it's a lot to think about Grandmum. Do I have to choose an Anchor right away – I mean if Sirius doesn't want to or if he can't? And training – do I have to decide about training right away as well? Or is there some sort of grace period where I can learn about this Reading stuff before I decide?"

"No, no, and yes, respectively. Luckily, sweetheart, you'll have about a week to research and explore your powers – we can extend that time to two weeks if you spend the majority in the zero room at the manor."

"I think – we should go to dinner and explain this all to Uncle Charlus, Uncle Michael, Aunt Lydia, Prongs, Pete, Remus, and Evans. Then spend tomorrow celebrating Rose's birthday – plus we have to go pick out your ninth charm – and then the day after we can start looking into these journals." With nods of agreement, Dorea, Sirius, and Rose stood and began making their way out to the gardens. As Dorea walked ahead, Sirius reached out and gently pulled Rose back, "Tomorrow, when we go to pick out your charm – if you can, would you explain your vision?"

"Of course I will, Sirius. I think, it'll be a bit of a surprise. But it's a good thing. And-and I think they still love you. They always have. Everything they did, I think they were just trying to protect you."

That evening, after a tenser than usual Sunday dinner, the family gathered with their drinks – a cup of full-bodied, nutty Darjeeling for Remus and Lily, a crystal goblet filled with a delicate Chianti for Rose and Lydia, and a glass of Johnnie Walker Gold for Peter, James, Charlus, Michael, Dorea, and Sirius – in the library, ready to discuss Rose's newly manifested abilities. After Lily, who was fairly clueless about Reading asked for clarification Charlus began by explaining that though Readers are often mistaken for Seers or Psychics their powers are in fact quite unique. "Readers don't see the future, or possible futures, the way that Seers do. They have what we call focused visions. They Read what the people around them are thinking...and the actions they are planning on taking. And based of off the potential actions, a Reader may see the future possibilities."

Confusion obvious on her face, Lily questions, "Potential actions? Future Possibilities?"

With the Lupins being a minor branch of the Potters, Remus had a passing familiarity with the concept of Readers, thus he jumped in to explain, "Yes, because when you think about a choice you naturally consider all the possibilities, all of the 'what-ifs'. Um, let me give an example, let's say we're all sitting at a business meeting. James & Sirius have a company and you and Peter have a company. Now the JS company wants to buy your company out. They've submitted a proposal and they have their Reader – Rose, potentially – checking you two to see what factors are important in your decision and what the outcome might be if you agree. Meanwhile, you are thinking about the options and estimating the possible outcomes. Same goes for everyone else in the room. Rose's Reader abilities build off of that information...she see's all of your thoughts, your potential actions/reactions and she also get's a hint of how outside forces might react to these actions. Suddenly, she can pass you a message that tells you if you raise the buyout price by 50$ a share Peter will agree right away but Lily will still need persuasion. Rose will also be able to tell you that if you raise to $100/share both will agree immediately but the stock market will react badly and you will have a significant drop in your own company's share price for a period of two years. She can thus advise you that 75$/share is the best option because although the market will still drop for the first three months of the fiscal year, it will quickly lead to a greater profit and both Peter & Lily will agree to the buyout."

Once Lily nods her understanding, James chimes in with, "I suppose in a way you could say that Rose's powers are significantly more limited then a Seer or Psychic's. Mainly this is because a Reader's powers grow with both age and training. Reading isn't helpful without training – if Rose decides to go down this path she will have to put in a GREAT deal of effort. It definitely won't be easy. There have even been a few Readers in our family who chose not to train or use their powers and eventually the powers faded to little more than a somewhat reliable sixth sense. Of course, possessing a sixth sense is something most magical beings, including witches and wizards, naturally possess simply by virtue of being magical. On the other hand, it's widely believed among many scholars that Cliodhna was a very powerful Reader who gained the courage to run off with her lover after she Read how short a time they would have together."

A contemplative look appeared on Dorea's face as she spoke up, "Yes, her lover – Ciabhán, was devastated by her death, but he lived on and raised their only child, a daughter – Aoibhinn. She – although not as powerful a Reader as her mother – was fairly skilled, but most relevant for us, Aoibhinn later went on to marry and have children with – Edmund Potter, who was the sole heir to the Potter line. And it's from Edmund & Aoibhinn that the main Potter line is descended."

Rose piped in, fascinated by some of the more esoteric family history coming to light, "Main Potter line...meaning us."

"Yes, exactly. Interestingly, there are other things you have in common with both Cliodhna and Aoibhinn, besides Reading, – for example, Cliodhna was an avid flier (her animagus was a bird in fact) and Aoibhinn was quite fierce and independent – in fact, the first time she met Edmund she slapped him for being too forward."

Nose wrinkling in annoyance, Lily interrupted, "Can we get back to explaining Readers and Reading? You were all saying something about training?"

"Right," Peter continued this time, "Like we've explained already, eventually, Rose will be able to pick up thoughts/emotions/impressions from the people she is using to focus her Reading. This happens since the training to improve her abilities as a Reader necessitates her gaining a fairly strong understanding and skill with both Legilimency & Occulmency. Part of the problem with Reading is that without training it'll be hard for her to control – and especially hard for her to differentiate between which are her thoughts and opinions and which are the thoughts or opinions of those around her. In addition, it takes a huge amount of training to learn how to properly collate all the information that is flowing in and turn that into a coherent outcome that can be interpreted. The lack of control is also part of the reason why Sirius will be her Anchor – for now, of course, the anchoring is temporary. As we discussed at dinner, during these next two weeks they'll both need to see how the Reader-Anchor bond works for them. If they feel it is something they both benefit from and desire, we'll help them to formalize the bond. If not, then Rose will need to find a new Anchor in order to help control her powers. From what I've read and heard, the Readings that first manifest are almost completely undirected – it's very likely she might have visions or impressions that won't actually make sense until after the events they relate to have already passed."

"But that's normal for Seers, right?"

"Yes, but that's why Seer's and Reader's are so different. Seers might make prophecies or predictions but Reader's never do. A Reader's visions are much more direct. Rose might tell you tomorrow – if you wake up before noon, you'll slip on a banana peel, but if you wake up after one, you won't. The Seer would probably give you some ominous prediction about fruits and sleep – but nothing too specific. Of course, the Seer could also theoretically prophesize – from halfway around the planet - that if your Muggle sister starts planting roses it will be to her significant financial benefit within the next two years. Versus Rose, even at the height of her abilities she probably couldn't give you much information about Petunia and her garden unless they were face-to-face and Petunia was thinking about planting roses at that time."

"It seems like a pretty fine line between the two."

For the first time, Sirius joined in, "It's not actually from what I understand and what Rose's described so far. I think the difference is just a bit hard to explain. I'm sure we'll all understand it better as we see Rose train and use her abilities – that is if she's decided to train and use them?" His tone changing from matter-of-fact to questioning, Sirius gently brushed Rose's hair behind her ears. "Sweetheart? Have you made a decision yet?"

Curled up once again in Sirius' lap, Rose turned her face into Sirius' chest, silent for a few moments. Finally, she lifted her head and gazed up at her godfather, "I think I would like to train – for now. I'm not totally sure yet if I want to keep and build up these abilities but I'd like to at least get a better idea of what I'm getting into before I make my final decision."

James nodded in understanding, replying, "Smart choice Ria. I think Dad and I will go collect the journals from the Manor and our family Vaults so you can get started on your research."

Charlus quickly chimed in with, "There are also a few tutors and such I will go ahead and contact who will be able to begin your Occulmency and Legilimency training – whether or not you choose to develop your abilities, as the Potter heiress, you MUST learn to protect your mind." With that, James, Michael, and Charlus both stood and walked off to complete their tasks. Quietly making their excuses, Peter and Remus also drifted off – Peter to the Hogwarts' library to see if he could pick up any additional information on Readers and Remus to his and Lily's shared room, to rest in preparation for the upcoming full moon.

Having turned to watch her lover painfully stagger out of the room, Lily once again faced her daughter, "Rose is there anything I can do for you right now? Do you want to talk or anything?"

"No, I'm fine Mum, you should go sit with Moony – he seemed pretty drained."

"Rose-"

"I'm really okay, besides I have Sirius!" Smiling she tilted her head against Sirius' chest, slowly leaning back until she was once again fully curled up in his lap, with her head tucked into the hollow of his neck. Sirius' arms immediate came up to surround her – cocooning her in his protective embrace. Seeing that Rose was happily tucked away with Sirius – Lily smiled and quietly made her way to her and Remus' shared room.

"Querida?" Once Rose pulled her head away and tilted up to look at him, Sirius continued, "why don't we go flying for a bit? It'll take your mind off of everything. Plus you need to be more in a cheerful mood anyways – it's your birthday in less than an hour, remember? It's not everyday you turn nine!" Rose smiled, some of the worry and tension fading at just the thought of flying. She quickly nodded and the twosome quietly made their way out to the backyard Quidditch Pitch.

* * *

A/N: I'm baaaaack! (and it's not even a short mini chapter – 4535 words is pretty decent, yes?) But I'm also very rusty...please leave feedback :D! Haha, updates will be slow while I get back into writing but please don't let that discourage you from reviewing and, as always, letting me know your thoughts! P.S. My brain is kind of fried right now so pleeeeease let me know if I've made some totally dumb mistake or typo or grammar or spelling issue...

Edited: 08/05/2011


	22. The Charms

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's put this and the other OW stories in your C2s, Favorites, and Alerts! And special thanks to all my reviewers for the lovely reviews (and your amazing patience)! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and not give up no matter how much RL gets in the way! :)

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The Ninth Charm**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "Kissing your hand may make you feel very very good but a diamond and sapphire bracelet lasts forever" - Anita Loos  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!

* * *

**July 30, 1989**

_Potter Summer Home, Bordeaux, France_

It was an odd feeling – being needed so desperately. Sirius had experienced all sorts of things – he'd been wanted as an heir, a friend, a lover; he'd been loved as a son, and a brother; he'd even been depended on as a fighter, a defender, a confidant. But to **rely **solely on Sirius Black, to the exclusion of all others, that had never happened before. All those roles he'd filled: the Black heir, the Marauder, the boyfriend, Orion Black's once-beloved son, James Potter's best friend, the strongest Unspeakable, Peter Pettigrew's sounding board, the most dangerous Phoenix in the Order – in his mind, all of those roles could have been filled by others.

Every role – besides the latest, an Anchor. Rose actually needed **him**. He and he alone could fill the void. Because Sirius had in fact done his research in the days since they realized exactly what abilities Rose was exhibiting, and he knew now, truly understood – Rose could have another anchor if he refused, but none would ever fit as well or shield as thoroughly as he would, as her first. Her powers, if she were denied the shield of her first anchor, would never reach their full potential. No one could ever completely fill in for Sirius – not with Rose. She truly was the first – and only – person for whom he was completely irreplaceable.

It was a heady feeling – knowing that the most important person in his life, needed him to be the most important in hers. And – it might be wrong or selfish – but he was glad it was him she needed because as loyal and selfless as Sirius had always been for his family, his friends, his coworkers, and the Order – it was nice to, well, amazing, to be honest, to have this one area where he could be utterly selfish. This one bond that was completely his – untouched, unequaled by any other. This link that he and Rose would have, it was unique and intrusive and something no one else would ever experience, not even James, especially not James. Because as much as Sirius loved, respected, and was grateful to his best friend – James had always had everything, the parents, the wife, the kid, the job, the home – but now Sirius was the one who had something precious.

Something that James would and could never have – a person who depended on and needed him to the exclusion of all else...for their very sanity.

With all this circling in his mind, Sirius stepped into Potter manor, searching for his goddaughter.

"Rose-"

"She's outside, sitting underneath the Oak tree. I think she just finished reading through the last of Nicola Potter's journals."

"Ah thanks Pete. Do us a favor and keep everyone else away for a bit. 'Ria and I need to talk over a few things."

"Of course."

The dewy green grass crunched under Sirius' feet as he swiftly made his way over to MJ. Leaning with his back pressed against the coarse bark, then slowly sliding down, he waited silently. When she made no motion to respond or acknowledge him, he carefully wrapped an arm around her upper back, pulling her to rest against him. As her head tipped to the side, it rested against his chest. Sirius carefully slid his right hand up, tangling his fingers in MJ's hair, carding the strands through in a repetitive, soothing motion.

"Rose, we're going to have to talk about it eventually."  
"I know. But can we just...sit here for a while first?"

"Of course."

A few more minutes passed in silence, then, "Actually...I...can you tell me a story?"

Confused, "Hm?"  
Quiet. "Please."

"Uh, all right. " Eyes searching for a subject landed on her bare feet stretched in front of them, unadorned save for a single platinum anklet, the beautiful charms sparkling in the morning sunlight. Motioning with his booted right foot, "Have you figured out why I picked these charms yet?"

Glancing up at her godfather, then back at her anklet, she blinked the daze away and straightened up, replying, "Some of them. Like the Stag-Grim-Rat-Wolf, that's pretty obvious but I don't know what the different gemstones mean. I meant to look them up but I didn't get a chance yet. The cupcake with the ruby sprinkles, my birthday, and birth time, that's pretty obvious too – cause my birthstone's a ruby – and then this one it has Querida written on it because that's what you call me sometimes. But you still haven't told me what it means-"

Smug, "It' a pet name."  
Exasperated, "I know that. But a pet name meaning what?"

Gentle, "Beloved."  
Blushing, "Oh. That's – I like that."  
Knowing smile, "Hmm, want me to tell you about the charms?"

"Yes please."

"Right. Gimme your ankle." He grins.  
"What?"  
Still smirking, Sirius reaches down and pulls Rose's ankle into his lap. The awkward position swings her around so that she ends up on her back with her legs sideways across her Godfather's lap. Rolling her eyes, she pushes herself up on her elbows, "Real mature there, Sirius."

Laughing, he gently unclasps the anklet and pulls Rose back into his arms. "Ready to learn, Querida?"

When she simply rolls her eyes again, he softly lifts up a charm, "This one was the first one I had put on."

"The Black Family Crest. But why does it have the red rose wrapped around it?"

"It's not just a red rose – it's a single red rose in full bloom, means I love you. And the crest represents both the gifter, which is me, and where the tradition began. What my father explained to me, years back, was that certain years are supposed to have certain charms, like the first charm representing birth to the first birthday should include three things. Something to represent the tradition, the gifter, and a message from the gifter to the giftee." Smiling, she slowly relaxes against him, snuggling into his chest as he continues, lifting out a sparkling, miniature cupcake. "Now this one, it's pretty obvious. A birthday cupcake charm, clearly, but the sprinkles are tiny little slivers of Ruby, your birthstone, and here on the back it has your birth date and time engraved. This is for your first birthday up to your second birthday and it represents when you began to define yourself as an individual."

"So far so good. I thought they had charms or spells for protection on them, are you going to tell me about them too?"  
"Yep, but later, after we've bought your charm for this year. First, let me tell you about all the ones that are already on here."  
"Kay."

"Now, where was I. Oh yeah, the third charm, for the second year. This is also pretty obvious...the Potter Coat of Arms with your family motto, _Familia ante omnia,_ written with liquid emerald on the bottom."  
"Family above all else. I think I can guess why this charm for this particular year. It represents my heritage? And ancestors? Plus, I started my training as Potter heiress with Grandfather Charlus and Dad a few days after my second birthday."

"Exactly. Next, third birthday to the day before your fourth, the golden lightning bolt, obviously because of our first, special connection." He holds up his palm and she quickly lifts her own to rest right next to his – their matching lightning bolt scars are identical to the charm. "Certain birth years are especially important: _3_, _9_, _27_, _81_, _243_ are those years...or in other words multiples of three - the charm during one of those years is supposed to represent the relationship or bond between the gifter and the recipient. Of course, a very, very, very small number of Blacks have ever made it to 243...I think we've only had 2 witches who reached that age. The first four though, 3, 9, 27, 81 are always special since most of us do reach those birthdays._"_

"Hey, that means this year's charm is special too – since today IS my ninth brithday!"  
"Yes it is, that's why we get to go pick it together. Well, if you want, otherwise, you know this can just be a regular ol' charm anklet."  
"No, I want to go pick out the charm. I like this tradition. It's..sweet"  
"Wow, sweet. Do me a favor and don't ever tell anyone I'm related to that you think we're sweet." Giggling, Rose swats at him, playfully ducking, he continues, "Now if you don't interrupt the next three are pretty easy to explain. First, the long-handled faux wooden spoon, because you secretly love baking and cooking muggle-style – and guess which completely wonderful, perfect, handsome godfather of yours taught you in the first place." Wiggling his eyebrows mockingly, he waits until her smile widens before continuing, "Next, – "

"SPOT!"

"Haha, yes. The Mini Hungarian Horntail with the collar saying her name is Spot. And it was what, on the day of your fifth birthday that you invited Spot to live on our Quidditch Pitch?"

"Hey! I was five! Anyway, she decided not to live there."  
"She still visits us. With all of her children. Children which, at last count: included nine adolescent dragons, seven fully grown male dragons, and one female dragon with her own children!"  
Rose simply pouts at him. "But Spot's soooo nice."  
"Nice. Nice? She's a bloody dragon! She tried to eat me that one time!"

"Well, you were all taunting her with that chicken." When Sirius splutters in outrage, Rose quickly changes the subject, "Sooo, seventh charm, sixth birthday? Explain-y? Please?"  
Still frowning, "Yeah, yeah. Golden snitch. Cause you love flying. And I love flying. And Prongs loves flying...and I don't know if you remember but it was a few weeks after your sixth birthday that you decided you were going to be a professional Quidditch player when you grow up."

"I will be too!"

"Oh, I have no doubt. You are ambitious enough to be a Slytherin."  
"Well, you don't have to be insulting. It's my birthday remember?"  
"How could I forget?" A smile to take the sting out of his otherwise snippy words, "Oooh, now here's the one for your seventh birthday. Another one of the traditional charms, it represents the protectors or most important men in the witch's life. It took the jeweler a while to find the perfect gems to make this one." He holds up the intricate charm, there are four distinct parts yet together they flow seamlessly to make a perfect whole.

"The Marauders!"

"Yes ma'am! Now, we have a Wolf, for Moony, carved out of Honey Yellow Citrine, a Rat, for Peter, carved out of Deep Brown Carelian, a – "

Rose, once again, interrupts – but with an odd look on her face this time, "Can I ask you a question."

"Of course. Something wrong?"  
"No, I dunno. It's just -well, why does everyone call Uncle Peter...Peter? I mean Uncle Moony, you all call him Moony, and you all call Dad, Prongs, and they all call you Padfoot. But no one ever uses Wormtail. I don't understand why. And when I asked Dad he got all weird...and Uncle Moony told me I'd understand when I was older, and Uncle Peter just looked sad when I asked so I didn't bug him about it again."

"You asked everyone else before you asked me?" While Sirius pouts, Rose rolls her eyes and pokes him, "Siriiiiii, tell meeeeee, pleeeeease!"

"Alright, alright, stop whining!" Swiftly glancing around, he waves his wand putting up a quick imperturable charm. "Right. So, I know you've been studying Occlumency with Uncle Charlus as part of your future-Lady-Potter-training. And James told me you've stepped it up since it'll help control your Reading powers."

"Granddad said I've improved a lot. I can already stop low-level attacks , but he thinks I should be able to keep the intermediate-level attacks out too with a month or so more of training."  
"That's good. But, look, the answer to your question is complicated...and it's dangerous. I can't tell you until you're able to keep advanced, high-level Master Leglimens, like Albus Dumbledore's level, out."

"Woah. It was just a simple question."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't have a simple answer."  
"Can't you tell me anything? Please?"  
Sirius took a deep breath and tipped his head back, letting it thud against the base of the tree. "Pete-He did something really dangerous during the war. And it...traumatized him. Sooo, he's uncomfortable with the nickname because of what he had to do. And, James, Remus, and I...we respect the sacrifice he made...sooo, we just stick to calling him by his name."

"Wow...way to vague it up there, Siri."

"Sorry. Keep working on your Occlumency and I'll be able to explain it all better. Actually, the Wooden Spoon charm maintains a constant low-level occlusion field around you when you're wearing the anklet, so that should give you a little boost with your shielding."

"Oh! Nice!"

"Yeah, anyways, where was I...before that rude interruption?" When Rose stuck her tongue out at him, he just laughed and continued with his explanation, "So, Moony, Citrine, and Peter, Carnelian, which leaves, the Stag, for Prongs, carved out of Golden Brown Zircon – it took the Jeweler ages to find the right color, he kept trying to get me to agree to a pink Zircon stag...which would've just been stupid. And finally, last but not least, the lovely, wonderful Grim, for moi, in Black Spinel."

"I love this charm, it's really beautiful and my favorite so far. Did you pick the four gemstones for any particular reason?"

"Of course! So you should know by now, in Gemology, or the study of the magic of gemstones, each gemstone has been found to have certain magical properties or qualities. Let's start with Citrine, which bestows upon someone wearing it the ability to adopt a neutral attitude, to use more rational thoughts instead of emotional ones in decision-making. It also helps the wearer stay cheerful, and protects against both snakes and evil thoughts. Next, the Carnelian, provides courage, builds confidence, and quells anger, jealousy, and hatred. Carnelian enhances protective spells and healing spells while diminishing the effect of negative magic aimed at the wearer. Zircon, has a variety of uses and effects: it aids in sleep, brings luck and prosperity, and most importantly promotes both honor and wisdom in the wearer. It also in combination with Carnelian helps enhance the wearer's resistance to disease and poisons, while simultaneously enhancing the effect of healing spells. The Zircon in particular protects against all forms of magical possession. Finally, the Spinel, it has a variety of effects but not all of them are useful to you now. Some of them – like the things relating to relationships of the romantic kind, will be of more use when you're older. But for now, the Spinel helps increase the longevity of the wearer's life, relieves sadness, removes anger and discord, and finally, has a calming effect."

"Wow, complicated stuff. Soooo, the relationship stuff...I won't need it until I'm older huh?"

"Brat. If you really want to know go look them up in a gemology book. Your father has a bunch in the library upstairs."  
"Alright, alright. No need to get all emotionaaaal. I was just teasing!"  
"Sure you were. Now, we get to the very last one! Traditionally, this one is meant to represent what the receiver means to the gifter. The tradition can be interpreted either very literal or more symbolic. My father, for example, is the one who gives Narcissa her charms; the two of them aren't particularly close, so he tends to interpret things pretty literally. For example, for this particular charm he decided to give her a little parchment charm that had our portion of the Black family tree engraved on it in miniature – in other words showing that she's his niece."  
"Wow. Talk about literal."  
"Yep! Now here's the charm," He hands it to her. "Tell me what you mean to me."  
Eyebrows raised, she takes the charm from him, "Um, well it's a sprig of jasmine, with Querida, written in liquid emerald, on the sash tying the bouquet together. So, Jasmine because that's my favorite flower. Querida, is what you call me and you said it means Beloved. And the writing is in liquid emerald, which is the same color as my eyes. Soooo, I'm your favorite? And you love me? And you think my eyes are pretty?"  
Smirking, "Close enough. Although all of you is beautiful to be honest princess."

Blushing, "Wow. You put a lot of thought into it."  
"OF course, I love you princess you know that. Plus it's tradition remember?"

"Yeah, I love you too. But you know – today's my 9th birthday...so technically, there should be one more charm on it"

"Yup, and that brings us to the 9th birthday, which I told you is supposed to be special. So, traditionally for the ninth birthday – the gifter and the giftee pick out the charm together and it's supposed to represent the relationship or bond between us. We can go to the Gemstone International in Beautef Alley whenever you want. Either pick out an existing charm or if nothing fits or you want something unique or different we can have one made. And afterward, while you're getting ready for your party, I'll tell you about the protective charms and enchantments and we can figure out what to put on the new charm."  
"Great! Can we go now?"  
"Sure, I'll just tell Pete so he can let James and Lily know when they get back, then we'll head on out."

* * *

A/N: Sooo, maybe it's cause I've been written & re-written this chapter so often, but I'm not super pleased with it...maybe I'm just being overly critical? If not, feel free to give me some con-crit! Whether or not you like this chapter, please review & let me know what you think :)

Oh and hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up within the next week or so :) I will definitely try but RL has been totally insane this past year!

Edited: 08/05/2011


	23. The First Bonding

_Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, its characters and settings are the copyrighted works of J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., her publishing companies and affiliates. The concept of Readers was inspired by the amazing Joss Whedon series, Firefly (and its sequel, Serenity). No profit was made from the writing of this story nor was any malice intended in any way, shape, or form to the author or the actors/actresses who so brilliantly have brought them to life. This author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the ratings, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country._

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's put this and the other OW stories in your C2s, Favorites, and Alerts! And special thanks to all my reviewers for the lovely reviews (and your amazing patience)! The reviews really encourage me to keep writing and not give up no matter how much RL gets in the way! :) And of course thanks for the patience – especially those of you who have been PM'ing me for updates – I definitely didn't abandon the story! Oh and HG, here you go :)

* * *

**One Wish: The Beginning**

**Chapter Title:** The 1st Bonding**  
Rating:** G  
**Summary:** "It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought." - John Kenneth Galbraith  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!  
**A/N:** I'm not sure if this chapter came out correctly...any suggestions/con-crit would be loved & of great help.

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**August 15, 1989**

_Château de Talcy, __Bordeaux, France_

"Uncle Charlus, are you sure we can do the ritual here? Wouldn't it be better within the Manor's wards?"

Laughing at the contrast between the worried father and relaxed daughter, Lord Charlus Potter, once again reassured James, "As I've mentioned – repeatedly – the extensive warding around Potter Manor would likely interfere with the bonding process. This, of course, is a large part of why we've spent the past two weeks preparing our Château for the ritual."

"Well, to be honest, Uncle, you've only had one week to prepare – since I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to train my ability before then."

Turning to smile at his granddaughter, the deceptively spry, eighty-year-old Michael Potter spoke up, "Was there ever really any doubt?"

"Well," Rose replied, pouting, "You could've pretended!"

"Yes, yes – now dear, why don't we allow Charlus and James to finish up the preparations here. I believe you promised me a story explaining the meaning behind the latest charm on your anklet?"

"Oh, right."

Offering up his arm, Michael quietly escorted Rose over to his favorite decadently luxurious canapé – made from Portuguese Rosewood and overlaid with embroidered red silk upholstery – it was a gift from the Queen herself, in honor of Michael's bravery during the war against Grindelwald. "Now then, the charm?"

Rose quietly reached down and unclasped the anklet, bringing it within Michael's eye-line, and swiftly separating out the newest charm. "The-Wait, do you know all the history and traditions behind why each charm is chosen?"  
"Dorea has explained quite a bit of it to us – but go ahead and explain the rationale behind this charm in detail."

"Well, this charm is supposed to represent the conclusion of my eighth year and beginning of my ninth year of life – which makes it overall the tenth charm. Also, since it represents my upcoming ninth year of life that makes it a special '3' year, so it's supposed to illustrate how my relationship with the person who gave me my anklet has evolved and grown."

"Ah, well that explains the, uh, rather obvious," a sly wink at his pouting granddaughter, "Ship Anchor – quite a literal representation of Sirius, you've chosen here."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure at first if I should have Ms. Trinkah create a custom charm but then I saw the ship's anchor and I really liked it. So, I asked Mr. Teering if he would be willing to modify and alter the base charm so it's sort of half-custom, half-pre-made."

"Ah, yes of course, it is Jacinth & Micah's willingness to take the extra step that makes Trinkah & Teering, Ltd. one of the truly top notch jewelers in Beautef. Now then, how exactly did Micah alter your charm?"

"Well, right here," Michael leaned forward, bending his head down in order to see where Rose was pointing, then nodded for her to continue, "this symbol wrapping around the anchor, , well you probably already know this, but that's the fifth astrological sign of the zodiac – most people just call it Leo. Since I was born when the Sun was in the fifth house, that makes me a 'Leo' so this represents me. Just like the anchor represents Siri. I figured the Zodiac is sort of related to Divination and Seers – which has some similarities to my abilities as a Reader, sooo-the charm basically just shows how Sirius & I have grown in our relationship. Especially since now we're going to be Reader and Anchor, which is just..."

"Similar to before. Except now you are both **More**?"

"Yes. That's a pretty good way of explaining it."

"Have you chosen a protection or spell you want placed on the charm yet?"  
"Not yet, I'm not really sure what more I'll need protection from. Sirius was really thorough with all of the other protections. I mean, the Marauders charm has FOUR separate enchantments on it!"

Before Michael could give his opinion on Sirius' protectiveness, James called the duo over. "Dad, Rose, we're ready over here." Slightly apprehensive, but mostly excited, Rose bounced over to her father and great-uncle.

"Where's Sirius? And everyone else?" Before anyone could answer, Rose shrieked as she was suddenly picked up and tossed in the air. Laughing, she turned in Sirius' arms as he caught her. "Meanie! You scared me!"

"Heh, I couldn't resist, Querida – it's your father's bad influence."  
"Oi!"

"Alright, enough children. We need to get this ritual started BEFORE sundown tonight. Now, Rose do you understand what you're supposed to do?" At her nod, Charlus waved her over to the absolute center of the ritual room, quietly she kneeled on the black granite, facing north. "In answer to your earlier question, the ritual requires three Potter males, your Anchor, & you – we felt it would be best to minimize any distractions by having the others wait outside. Now, Sirius if you would take up the North position facing Rose, James to her right at the East, and Michael to her left at the West. I will take up the Southern position as her family Patriarch. Do you all have your ritual knives?" After looking around to ensure each of the other four had a full set of three ritual knives, Charlus made his way to the Southern position.

The ritual room was spacious, but more importantly, it was carved from a single, immense slab of Pure Black granite. This, of course, was essential as it both minimized the effect of minor imperfections on the ritual results while also enhancing the power of the ritual do the enhanced magical conductivity. Imported from India, thousands of years previous by an assortment of Potter ancestors, the ritual room was an immense familial advantage – and one that's mere existence had been a zealously guarded secret. Even Lydia and Dorea had never stepped foot in the room – Sirius in fact was the first non-Potter to step inside in almost 200 years.

With thoughts of his heritage and ancestry running through his head, Charlus quietly kneeled down on the raised Southern position, gently placing his personalized ritual knives to his right at the edge of the ritual circle. Rose kneeled in the very middle of the circle as her father quietly stepped forward and drew a large (leo) in salt. The circle representing the head of the Lion was quickly and easily drawn around her, while the curved line representing the mane was free formed until the tip ended right in front of where Sirius kneeled, his own knives ready at his left. His task complete, James stepped back, setting the salt outside the ritual circle, and set his knife set to his right. Michael carefully stood and placed a small cup-full of waxy, white camphor in front of Sirius, then turned and placed a Patchouli incense stick in front of Rose. Efficiently, he made his way to James and then Charlus, placing before each a five small but distinct piles of powder: fragrant, light brown Sandalwood, spicy, dull orange Turmeric, eight-cornered, orange-brow Star anise, bitter, bright red Saffron, & chalky, deep red-orange Vermillion. Returning to his own seat, he placed the same five piles in front and then set his well-cared for set of ritual knives to his left.

Sirius looked around, ensuring that each of the ritual participants was ready, then he nodded to Rose and in strong, even tones, they together began the ritual chant, "Sakaa -Sapthapadha -bhava Sakaayov -Saptha padhaa –Bhaboova; Sakyam -the' -Ghame'yam Sakyaath -the' Maayosham -Sakyan me; Maayosta -Samayaava -Samayaava Sangalpaavahai –Sampriyov; Rosishnu -Sumanasyamanov Ishamoorjam - abhi –Savasaanov; Managhumsi -Samvrathaas smu Chiththaani -Aakaram –Sathvamasi; Amooham -Amoohamasmi saa -Thvam –dhyowraham; Pruthivee thvam -Retho' aham -retho' Bhruthvam –Manohamasmi; vak thvam -Saamaa ham asmi -Rukthvam –Saamaam; Anuvradhaa -bhava Pumse' Pumse' -Puthraaya- Veththavai"

As they completed the first chant, Sirius brought his hands up, silently and wandlessly igniting the cup of camphor. Hands extended forward he carefully floated the flaming cup over to Rose, who lit the incense and then very carefully levitated it next to the floating cup. Sirius gently took control of the Patchouli incense, representing the element of air, and floated both cup & incense counterclockwise around the ritual circle, first to Michael, then Charlus, then James, then back to Michael again. The still flaming cup and burning incense stick were floated around three times – each time the three Potter men levitated powder into the flames of the cup. First, the Sandalwood representing water, second, the Turmeric representing earth, and third, the Saffron representing fire.

After this stage Sirius and Rose began the second round of the same ritual chant. Once they finished, each of the three Potter men floated a pale green jade knife forward – previously washed with pure Valerian extract – the knives were floated forward and then gingerly used to grind the Star anise to a fine paste. Sirius once again floated the cup and incense around the circle – but clockwise this time – allowing the others to levitate the paste into the flames. The Star anise was an essential part of any ritual as it represented the ether from which all magic sprang from and returned to. Deliberately, the jade knives were once again set aside, but instead of beginning a third round of chants all five pulled out a pearly short Kīla, each carved from a single large moonstone. Carefully each of the five carved a single row of 3 runes onto their non-dominant hand: Ehwaz for trust and cooperation, Gebo for both gift and sacrifice, and finally, Wunjo, for joy, hope, and harmony. Once again the knives were returned to their places as Rose and Sirius began the chant a third time.

As Reader and Anchor fell silent, a swell of magic pressed down on them all – struggling against the pressure and the swiftly approaching magical exhaustion, Sirius once again floated the cup and incense. This time first to James, then to Michael, then to Charlus so they could pour in the Vermillion – representative of the inescapable bond between Reader and Anchor. Rose leaned forward, feeding her own magic to Sirius, assisting him in keeping the cup and incense floating in the air between them. With nothing but their magic they lifted the incense into the flaming cup – holding it in place until the incense was fully consumed – then floated the cup down to rest exactly halfway between themselves. Straightening up on their knees, Rose & Sirius pulled out the third and final knife, resembling a miniature iron Kirpan, each had been carefully washed in freely given Unicorn tears and then left to dry beneath the moonlight. As the other three looked on Rose and Sirius moved closer to one another, each shifting an arm forward, so that they other would be able to carve the chosen runes and complete their bond:

_**Ehwaz – Gebo – Wunjo – Othala – Laguz – Berkano - Algi****z**_

Seven times the line of seven runes was carved. Upon finishing, they switched knives before finally turning the blades flat and smearing the slight sheen of blood across all 7 rune lines. Immediately, the flames in the cup still floating between them went out as magic swelled in the room. Each individual felt a sucking sensation as if something was pulling all the magic and energy from them – then with a rush of magic the power exploded throughout. Retaining just enough energy, Rose and Sirius returned their knives to the proper cases before both collapsed – thoroughly exhausted. Of the other three, who collapsed with the initial rush of magic, Charlus was the first to wake, he carefully broke the ritual circle, brushing aside the as of yet undisturbed salt, and quietly levitated both Sirius and Rose out of the room. Returning to the room he Ennervated his brother and nephew. Together the three quickly and efficiently cleaned up the room, setting aside the knives to be properly disposed of on the next Solstice.

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**August 17, 1989**

_Château de Talcy, __Bordeaux, France_

"Are you sure they're okay?"

"Relax Lily. We knew going in that they would need some time to recover from the magical exhaustion."

"You knew! I had no idea what this bonding involved – I still have no idea, since no one will tell me anything!"

James' jaw tightened in anger and annoyance, but seeing the potential for drama, Peter quickly broke in, "Lily – you know they can't tell you. This is Potter family magic – only Potters are involved."

"Sirius-"

"That's an exception and it's not like it was a one-way exchange. These things never are." Turning Peter gave James a questioning look and continued at the sharp nod, "I imagine Sirius had to let the Potters see just as much of the Black family magics as he saw of the Potter magics. Bonds of this type require an equal and reciprocal exchange – or they don't take properly. Forming this sort of bond is both magically and physically exhausting – it requires huge amounts of energy since essentially they're very minds are remodeled in order to allow them to support one another without going insane."

Sniffing, Lily didn't say a word, simply raising an imperious eyebrow at her annoyed husband.

"He's right. It'll probably be another two or three days before they wake up. But Dad and Uncle Charlus both tested the preliminary bond – it definitely took. Once they wake up they'll probably devour everything in our kitchen while they replenish their magic and energy. However, after about a week or so, they'll be right back to normal – and then they can start the really hard work."

"Yes, Rose's training, of course."

"Not just Rose's training, Lily. Why do you think Sirius took so much time off from work? They both have to train – Rose with her ability, and Sirius will need to learn to use the bond to guide and anchor her. It'll be years before they're **fully** settled into the bond – but the preliminary training needs to be done within the next few weeks, so they can lay the foundation for it."

"Wait, are you trying to tell me, that they won't be able to do anything but train this one thing for the next few years!"

"Don't be stupid. For the next few weeks, yes, the settling bond will be their sole focus. But once it's settled into place, strengthening it and learning to use it properly will be done at their own speed. It's just like learning another language while you're in school – you can spend as much or as little time on it as you want."

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A/N: It's been a while – please let me know what you think...also didn't have time to do a thorough typo check – so pleeeease let me know if you find any spelling/grammar/typo issues.

P.S. Virtual cookies to anyone who can tell me where the chant is from (without googling it!)

Oh and hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up within the next two weeks or so...

Posted: 08/05/11


	24. The Piercings

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. JKR does. I also don't make any money. JKR does.**

**Chapter Title:** The Piercing**  
Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** "A person should realize that the tattoo or piercing is not just being placed on your body; it is becoming a part of you, an extension of yourself." - Daemon Rowanchilde  
**Beta:** No Beta, but if you want to volunteer, I'd be very grateful!**  
**

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_Godric's Hollow_

_April 23, 1990_

"Daddy? Are you busy?" Rose innocently peeked her head into her father's study and watched as James tried to finish up his paperwork.

"It's nothing important princess, did you need something?" Smiling, James waved his daughter to a seat.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Um, do you remember Sirius' girlfriend, from last week?"

Since Sirius averaged one new girlfriend every three to four days James could be forgiven for asking, "Which one?"

"Uh, the one from Tuesday night? With her ears pierced twice and-"

"And the belly button piercing?"

"Um yeah."

"Yes. I remember her. Why?"

"Uhm, well, " Deep breath, "pleasepleasepleasegetonetoo?" Another deep breath, then, "?" She finished with a big smile and a pleading look directed at her father.

"What? Repeat that, slowly." She sighed, put on her most pitiful, innocent, little girl expression, and asked,

"I thought her belly button piercing was really, really neat and can I please, please, please, please get one too? And also could I get a second hole in my ears? Please!"

His face blank, James impassively asked, "Did you talk to your mother about this yet?"

"Yeah, she told me to ask you."

"I see."

"Daddy? So can I? Pleaseeeee!" She gave him her cutest daddy's-little-girl look.

"No." James turned away from her and began to work on his paperwork again.

"But daddy-"

"No. Absolutely not. Over my dead body. Not in a million years." He looked away from his paperwork just long enough to give her an angry look.

"But dadddddy! I really, really want itttt!" When all else fails, whine!

"Rose!" James rarely raised his voice at her but when he did she knew not to argue. "I said NO! That's the end of it. Now stop whining." Pouting, she walked out of the study.

"Well? He said no, right?" Rose turned and glared at a highly amused Sirius.

"Oh stop smirking Mr. I-already-know-everything." Sirius laughed and replied,

"Stop pouting darling! You're only nine right now! You have a whole 8 years to convince him to let you get them."

"Eight years? He said not in a million years!"

"Well, in eight years you're going to graduate and be considered a fully qualified witch; he can't exactly stop you then."

Rose's pout disappeared and she grinned widely, before replying, "Good point!" Smiling, she went back to her room to plan how to convince her dad within the next eight years to let her get the piercings. Or if that didn't work, how to get him to forgive her for getting it done behind his back after she graduated. Smiling, Sirius turned to head back down the stairs, but standing right behind him was a displeased Lily Potter.

"Uh, Lily. How are you?"

"8 years and she won't have to listen to us anymore? Is that what you're teaching my little girl?"

"What? No! I was just trying to distract her...so she wouldn't be sad!" Sirius tried to give Lily his most earnest, truthful look. Judging by her mocking smirk, it didn't work. Shaking her head, bemused, Lily brushed by him and headed for her husband's study,

"Just make sure James doesn't find out you were the one who gave her the idea!" Sirius' eyes went wide as he realized what his best friend would do to him, when he found out who helped Rose realize she could get the piercings without parental approval after turning seventeen.

"Yeah, I'm just…going to go back to work now. Bye!" Lily smirked as Sirius beat a hasty retreat.

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**A/N: Very short I know - but as always, read and review please!**

**Posted: 08/05/11**


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